Legacy
by HarryJamesPotter777
Summary: In a time where house rivalries are at its deepest and most volatile, it seems impossible these two would find a way together. This is the legacy of their time together, but how will they get through it?. Harry/Daphne. Starts from GOF. Dumbledore is good (sorry if that annoys anyone). Harry will have different friends, which isn't the usual ones you see in fanfic. Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so this is my shot at a Harry and Daphne story. It starts from GOF. Usually, writers will tend to stay with the same storyline but only their characters will diverge from the original book. So I've tried to be different, e.g. I'm gonna create my own tasks for the tournament etc. The start will follow the storyline a bit, but hopefully, I will be better. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The cobblestone cracked under his feet as he walked swiftly down the street. To an outsider, the man looked like trouble with his robes hanging down to his feet; tattered and worn out. His hands were heavily scarred and cuts ran down his arm, in a fashion which showed that the man had been in his fair share of fights. His head was covered, his face obscured in the night sky. He walked with purpose as he turned down the lane, and didn't flinch as he went straight through the wrought iron gate, passing by like smoke. The manor in front of him was an incredibly old and dilapidated Victorian mansion, which stood on the hill of Little Hangleton, the surrounding village, a small speck at this distance. He walked towards the door and knocked using the snaked shaped door knocker, waiting impatiently until a small rat-like man opened the door.

"You're late!" he exclaimed.

"The Dark Lord knows that I had important business to conclude, but he'll be very happy with my results" he spoke impatiently. "It is not your place to ask Wormtail" he concluded as the small man opened his mouth to remark again.

"My work here is just as importa-" he faltered off as the man pushed past him, jogging up the stairs, closely paying attention to the massive boa constrictor as he walked into the room. The room was just like the rest of the house, with its boarded up windows, and the mass of green ivy which had somehow penetrated itself into the room. However, most curiously was the throne which presided in the centre of the room, with a figure no larger than a baby sitting on it.

"Ahhh, you're finally here, I thought you may have forgotten about me" the cold voice rasped. "Wormtail's company here is anything but jovial; didn't even laugh when I killed, the muggle over there". The figure pointed to the corner of the room, where resided pairs of broken bones and flesh. "Anyway, talk to me about the mission."

The man kneeled down in front of the figure, pulling down his cloak, revealing his straw-blonde hair, and pale freckled skin, but most disturbingly a set of charcoal eyes, which didn't have a glimmer of light in them. "The mission was a success, my Lord. I successfully infiltrated the ministry, and got what you were looking for" he spoke quickly. "As you guessed, the tournament will be taking place, three champions, and one from each school" he concluded.

"You understand what you have to do then Crouch" the words coming out slowly as if it was difficult to speak. "There can be no mistakes this time. The boy has eluded my grasp for far too long, and it is imperative we have him for my plan to work."

"And what about the other one my Lord?" he questioned.

"His work is set out for him; he will be joining you at the school. The part he plays is not as important as yours, and will only be needed at the very end. It is critical that you do not have any contact with him because of who you will be" he concluded, his red eyes glaring. "Oh, and please tell Wormtail to bring our next guest on your way out."

"Of course My Lord" he stammered as he looked into the deep red eyes of his master. He walked towards the door, and as he passed through the gates of the house, he smiled as he heard the screams emanating from behind him, and the flash of green that followed.

* * *

Harry Potter woke up; clutching his scar in agony, sweat beading down his forehead. He was about to swear in pain when he realised his best friend Ron was snoring right next to him. Looking through the window, he could see the first glimmer of the sun rising across Ottery St Catchpole. Grabbing his glasses from the bedside table, he got up and walked downstairs to the smell of fried bacon and eggs.

"Oh my, you're up early! I was just about to wake you boys up in a few minutes" a surprised Mrs Weasley spoke, wand in hand, as she sent spells to the various cleaning equipment in the kitchen. Mr Weasley had also looked up in surprise from his newspaper, as he examined the boy.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just excited for today's match. It's not only the World Cup finals but my first professional match" Harry said smoothly, hoping they didn't try to examine his lie too closely.

"Ahh, yes there is nothing more thrilling than a good Quidditch match" Mr Weasley spoke; his voice laced with excitement.

"Sit down Harry" Mrs Weasley said, as she piled sausages, bacon and eggs onto his plate. "You boys have to leave in an hour, and you can't miss the portkey" she exclaimed. "I better go upstairs and wake the boys, Ginny and Hermione now."

Mr Weasley waiting until his wife had disappeared before looking to the boy in front of him. Harry had been staying at the Burrow for the past two weeks, yet he still couldn't believe the transformation that the boy had undergone. The past summer, he had shot up a couple of inches, and with the huge amount of food his wife had forced upon him, he finally was starting to look healthier. His shoulders had broadened, and his arms showed more muscle, but traces of malnourishment still evident. "Harry, do you really want to tell me the real reason why you're awake so early?" he asked politely.

"How did you kn-"

"You look as pale as a ghost, my boy. Something obviously must have happened."

"I just had a bad dream, that's all," he said looking down at his food. "It really isn't a big deal". Mr Weasley's mouth had opened to speak again when his musings were interrupted by Percy apparating next to the table. Harry was never more thankful to see the brownnosing Weasley, and quickly stuffed down his food, and rushed upstairs to Ron's bedroom.

The next hour was a constant array of shouting, rushing up and down the stairs, and the twins playing pranks on Percy before they were finally out the door. Harry walked behind the group with Ron, who was speaking about the different tactics of the Bulgarian and Irish teams, and the different formations they could do. Harry tried to pay attention, but his focus was still on his morning dream. He had been dreaming of Voldemort for the entire summer, but usually, it was just a few seconds, and he never understood what the people were saying. However, it was different this time; he could remember a few parts of the conversation. He knew the traitor Pettigrew was there, and he remembered a glimpse of a dead body. He knew there was a third person, but his name eluded him.

"- and that's why I think the Irish defenders should use the Murray Split formation if they have any chance of stopping Levski, Dimitrov and Ivanova. But-" Ron stopped abruptly when he looked at his best friend. "Harry are you even listening to me?" he said annoyed.

Harry snapped back into reality, looking at Ron guiltily-"Sorry Ron, um… couldn't the Irish chasers do anything else?" he asked, hoping to draw the attention of him.

Ron looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds, but took the bait anyway, and went on about the Hawkshead attacking formation the Irish team could use until they were stopped by a voice.

"Arthur! Wait up"

Harry turned around to see two men jogging their way, recognising one of them as the Hufflepuff seeker- Cedric Diggory, and a shorter man who could only be his father.

"Amos, how good to see you." Arthur replied. 'This must be Cedric! You've definitely changed since we last met". Their pleasant chatter continued to the top of the hill, where laid a single dirty boot.

"Alright gang, we have another 4 minutes before the portkey activates, when I say so, all of you put your hand on the boot, and off we'll go to the World Cup!" Mr Weasley exclaimed.

Amos took the time to look at Harry critically, his eyes doing the standard flick towards the scar on his forehead. "So Cedric, this is the famous Gryffindor seeker you bested last year, isn't it. My son, the one who was able to beat the Boy-Who-Lived!" Amos stated proudly patting his son on the back

"It wasn't liked that Dad" Cedric murmured embarrassingly, "he was chased by dementors, I just got lucky in catching it."

"Yes, but-"

"Look, everyone, the portkey is lighting up" Fred shouted taking the attention off Amos. Harry looked to him gratefully, for getting the pesky man off his tail. Fred winked back as they all grabbed the shoe, and disappeared with a pop.

Harry landed hard on the grassy ground, his limbs tangled with Ron and Hermione. The twins who had tried to get back at Amos for his remarks on Harry's flying had purposely held on to his body as they portkeyed so that they ended up on top of him when they had landed.

As soon as everyone untangled their limbs, the two parties departed to find their tents. "Thank Merlin that ponce is gone. Did you see how he went on about Harry's flying like it was his fault a bunch of dementors came swooping onto the pitch" George said as they got out of earshot from the Diggory's.

The rest of the group agreed as they walked towards their tents. Harry's apprehension at the size of the tent vanished, as soon as he walked in. The tent while not huge was a modest size for the entire group, with a living room consisting of threadbare sofas, a fireplace, a designated kitchen, and bunk beds on either side of the tent.

* * *

Harry and Ron lounged on their beds playing chess, while Hermione read a book for an hour before Mr Weasley sent them on their way to gather wood and water for the tent. They walked through the camp, passing through the Irish supporter's enclosure to get to the well. Harry was getting increasingly embarrassed by all the stares he was getting. It wasn't that he wasn't used to staring, but this time it was coming from primarily the female population of the camp. Ron stayed quiet throughout the whole ordeal, constantly glancing at Harry in anger, which Harry remained oblivious to. He turned red when a girl asked him to accompany to her tent, causing Hermione to smirk at her friend's discomfort while Ron looked enraged.

"What was with that girl?" Harry asked embarrassed looking at his friends for support.

Hermione burst out laughing at the expression on Harry's face, "Oh Harry, I think she just found you handsome and wanted to show you how much she appreciated that" laughing again at Harry's bewildered face. "Ron what do you think about it?" she said between her fits of giggling.

"Who cares, what she wanted, Harry obviously loves the attention. So why don't you just leave us and pursue the pretty girl who wants you so bad" Ron snapped, causing Hermione's laughter to cease.

"What's got your wand so far up your arse Ron?" Harry retorted back annoyed at his best friend's reaction.

"Oh it's just that I've had to go this whole day watching you pretend to be a saint every time a girl looks at you" he responded vehemently, his voice getting louder as he pressed on. "Acting like you don't know what they want. You're just a complete prat" the last word shouted, turning several heads in their direction.

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend was getting angry because a few girls looked at him. "Are you serious Ron?" he asked in disbelief getting angry too. "You're getting bothered by a girl talking to me?" he spat back.

He watched as a livid Ron turned and stomped off back to the tent. "You can go after him Hermione, make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid" he fumed as he walked in the opposite direction, leaving Hermione to go after their red-headed friend.

He walked furiously towards the well, thinking about the idiocy of his friend, not looking where he was going when he crashed into an object, sending him spiralling to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing? Watch where you're going you arse" a voice next to him shouted at him, as she grabbed her head in pain.

"I'm so sorry" Harry said immediately. "I wasn't looking, where I was goi-" he trailed off as he looked up into the most vivid blue eyes he had ever seen. "I, uh…"

"Just watch where you're going Potter" she retorted angrily, as she stood up.

"You know who I am?" Harry asked confusedly.

"Well since I have been in your classes for the last three years, I guess I would know who you are" she responded sarcastically.

This confused Harry even more, as he was sure there was no girl like this in his year. He stood up and brushed the grass off his clothes. He looked at her once again. She had honey blonde hair that flowed to her shoulders. She had a petite body figure, her clothes accentuating her perfect curves. _Hogwarts robes really manage to hide all this away._ Her face had an aristocratic look to it, with her small nose, and strong jaw line, but it was her eyes that made his breath stop. She radiated beauty, and it was the first time he had ever become flummoxed with a girl. He tried to rack his brain to where he had seen her when it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"You're Daphne Greengrass aren't you? From Slytherin right?" he said, finally remembering the girl who had been in his potions and defence class for the last three years.

"Well done, Potter" she replied sardonically. "Five points to Gryffindor."

"Ok I said I'm sorry" Harry retorted, getting annoyed at the Slytherin girl's attitude towards him.

"Come on Daphne, we've got to meet your parents at the tent" a voice spoke from behind Harry, interrupting the fight.

He turned to look at another girl, who obviously looked greatly amused at her friends' recent outburst. She had auburn hair, hazel eyes, and laugh lines etched on her face; looking like a person who smiled a lot. Harry recognised her as another Slytherin girl in his year, Tracey Davis.

She grabbed Daphne by the hand, and started guiding her to the direction Ron had stormed off to, before looking back at him- "Potter" she said cordially, amusement still evident in her face as she walked with Daphne back to her tent.

Harry stood still for minutes wondering how he had never noticed Daphne Greengrass, but there were many people he didn't talk to, usually due to the fact that his Hogwarts years brought upon a constant impending danger towards his life. But Daphne Greengrass was an enigma to him. No girl had ever made him feel so flustered, and that thought made him feel uncomfortable. Brushing the last shreds of grass, he continued walking towards the well, a certain blonde haired girl in his thoughts.

* * *

The atmosphere during the walk to the Quidditch Stadium was electric. Thousands of people were gathered around, singing songs about their teams, vendors in every corner trying to sell different goods. Green and red fireworks were being shot up from their respective tents, leading to a firework leprechaun fighting with a Doxy, one of Bulgaria's magical creatures. Ron was still blatantly ignoring Harry; Hermione standing next to him looking uncomfortable with his behaviour. Harry thoroughly enjoyed walking with the twins who were talking about their latest inventions.

"We call it the canary cream!" Fred stated proudly, handing Harry the orange sweet.

"Wow, so I eat it, and I'll transfigure into a canary. That's an amazing piece of magic guys" Harry exclaimed, looking at the twins.

"Exactly, took us most of our fifth year and summer to create. Lots of dangerous accidents", George spoke up looking amused. "In fact, at the end of our fifth year, the transfiguration went wrong, and so even though Fred changed back to his normal self, he coughed up feathers for a week" sending Harry into fits of laughter.

"Yes, that was unfortunate" Fred mused, "I had a hankering for worms that entire week" leading to all three boys bursting into laughter once more.

Mr Weasley had secured top box seats for the Quidditch match leading Harry and the rest of the group to walk up numerous flights of stairs before they reached their seats. He looked around the box, recognising the Minister of Magic- Cornelius Fudge, who Percy had already rushed to speak with. He stopped when he saw the bane of his existence, standing proudly with his father, who Harry assumed was talking to the Bulgarian minister of magic, from his accent.

The pale skinned boy turned around and smirked when he saw who had walked in. "Look, father, our box just got a whole lot dirtier", Draco Malfoy spoke up, looking at the Weasley's, his gaze lingering on Hermione as he spoke.

"Now Draco, leave them be. Arthur here must have emptied his entire vault to get up here. Let's not ruin their moment." He spoke in a low voice so that the ministers couldn't hear him, his smirk matching his son's.

"Harry m'boy!" a voice boomed, interrupting Mr Weasley from speaking up.

Harry turned to see Fudge coming his way, walking away from a disappointed Percy, who sent a glare his way before taking his seat. Harry was not fond of the current minister at all. He had refused to give Sirius a proper trial at the end of his third year leading him to break his godfather out. The Minister refused to see reason, believing that the words of teenagers were not good enough; therefore Harry was pretty annoyed when he saw the Minister trotting towards him as if they were old friends.

"Harry, let me introduce you to the Irish Minister of Magic- Aidan O'Malley, and the Bulgarian Minister- Dmitri Oblansk" Fudge spoke up as he grabbed Harry's robes, guiding him towards the ministers.

He sent a glance back towards the Weasley's who looked at him with sympathy, except Ron who's ire against Harry had seemed to increase because of the Minister's attention on him.

Harry was trapped in the conversation for twenty minutes before Bagman's commentary had started; allowing him to sneak into his seat before Fudge could ask any more questions. The game was like nothing he had ever seen before. Harry thought he was a good player, but after seeing the skills of these players he knew he still had a long way to go. The tactics used by each team was unbelievable, and he noticed that the teams were doing the same formations that Ron had recommended. The match ended with Ireland beating Bulgaria 170-160, the Irish chasers being unmatched by the Bulgarians, ending with Victor Krum finishing the game in his terms by catching the snitch.

* * *

The aftermath of the game was ecstatic, green, orange and white fireworks were sent from every corner of the fields. Singing could be heard from everywhere, and Leprechaun gold was constantly falling from the sky. Harry was singing with the twins as they walked back, when they heard the first screams, changing the atmosphere in mere seconds.

The tent to Harry's left suddenly burst into flames, the smoke making him cough. He turned to see two men in dark robes and iron masks laughing at the destruction they had obviously created.

"FRED, GEORGE TAKE EVERYONE BACK TO THE PORTKEY SITE. BILL, CHARLIE, PERCY COME WITH ME NOW!" Mr Weasley shouted running towards the fire, wand in hand.

Harry had never seen Mr Weasley take so much control of his life, and started running with the rest of the group to the direction of the Portkey site. The destruction was everywhere, tents hanging of their poles, while people's belongings burning next to them, children crying as their mothers ran with them and the wild cackles of the mysterious men who were causing the carnage.

The smoke was as thick as fog; Harry was only able to follow the Weasley's through the mass of people by seeing outlines of their characteristic flaming red hair. The twins took a sharp turn, and as Harry followed he tripped over a stray tent pole, falling onto the ground. He quickly got up, trying to get his bearings, when he realised he was alone. The smoke was too thick for him to understand his location, only able to see a few metres ahead. He started jogging, the smoke finally dissipating when he heard screams that stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see two girls running in the distance, as three of the black-cloaked men ran after them. Sighing at what Hermione would call his 'saving people thing', he sprinted after them.

* * *

Daphne Greengrass was not having a good day. Well, that wasn't true. It had been enjoyable to start with, but with the situation she now found herself in, she could definitely say that it wasn't the best moment to be caught up in.

She was sitting in her tent with her father and sister, drinking butterbeer after the game when they had first heard the screams. Tracey and her mother had stopped after the game to buy a few souvenirs, leading to her father screaming at her to take her sister to the apparition point, while he went out to search for his wife and his daughter's best friend.

She grabbed Astoria by her hand and ran towards the field her family had landed in when she first spotted the cloaked figures. They were in the midst of burning a tent when they spotted the two girls.

"Oi, darling why don't you come here and give us a kiss?" he shouted, his voice showing that he was heavily intoxicated.

He started coming towards her when she sent a stunning spell at him, which he easily blocked even in his drunken state. However, it gave her the time to run in the other direction, but the masked men were not that easy to evade, with them sprinting after her. She ran to the edge of a forest near the field, pulling her panting sister as fast as she could. She was close to the apparition point when one of the men sent a tripping hex on her, causing her to fall on Astoria to the ground, her ankle twisting in the process. Astoria screamed as she crashed into the ground, and Daphne looked up to see the three men walking towards her.

"No more place to run girls" one of the masked voices spoke up, the sickening tone in his voice turned Daphne's blood cold. Daphne covered her sister, pushing her behind as she tried to back away, her ankle throbbing.

"I wonder if you girls taste as good as you look" the man continued licking his lips. "I feel that I deserve a tre-"

"STUPEFY" a powerful voice resounded, hitting the man in the back, causing him to slump on to the ground, his head inches from Daphne's feet.

Daphne turned to the direction of the voice, recognising the boy immediately, already having one encounter with him today.

The two men had also turned, looking menacingly at the messy haired boy, their wands raised.

"You shouldn't have done that kid. We're going to make you pay."

"Yeah, well I usually do things I'm not supposed to do" Harry replied, sounding braver than he felt.

"EXPULSO" the first man shouted sending a bright blue stream of light from his wand. Harry dodged to his side, thanking his seeker reflexes, as the curse flew by. The curse hit the ground, blowing it up, sending chunks of mud and grass everywhere.

As Harry got up, the second man transfigured a small rock next to him into a metal spear tip, which he sent towards Harry. He wasn't as quick this time, the sharp tip impaling into his thigh, sending him onto the ground once more as he shouted in pain.

Harry rolled on his side, as a dangerous looking purple curse was sent his way. The curse hit the grass causing it to melt, creating a small crater in the ground.

"REDUCTO" Harry shouted back from the ground, going on the offensive, as the red light hit the ground next to the first man. The force of the explosion sent the man flying back, hitting the grass with a sickening crunch.

Harry, stood up, putting his weight on his good leg, the other hanging limp; the tip firmly embedded into it. The final man looked enraged as he looked at his two fallen companions.

"I'm going to kill you. You son of a bitch. I'm going to make you regret the day you were born." He started shooting a barrage of spells at Harry, who's only option was to conjure a shield to block it.

His leg gave way as the fifth spell impacted on his shield, the next curse hitting his right arm, fracturing it, as his wand fell to the ground. Harry watched helpless as the man walked slowly towards him, wand pointing at his head.

Harry raised his hand in a futile attempt to protect himself as the man walked closer to him, when suddenly he looked to the sky, his face filled with panic, before running to his fallen friends and apparating away with them.

Harry looked at the sky, only to find a massive skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth. He got a sense of déjà vu from seeing it. He knew he had seen that symbol before, racking his brain to remember it.

"HARRY!" a voice shouted from the distance. Looking at the direction of the voice, Harry saw Mr Weasley, Bill, Amos Diggory, Fudge and other ministry officials running towards him. "Harry what in Merlin's name happened here." Mr Weasley asked, fear laced in his voice.

"Masked men tried to attack girls" his voice rasped, struggling to breathe properly as the pain finally started to seep in, pointing to Daphne, holding her sobbing sister. "I tried to help, defeated two of them, the last one ran away when he saw the skull" the last word coming out in a whisper, as he coughed up blood, and finally fell to the ground.

The last thing he saw was Mr Weasley shouting for a healer, and Daphne's blue eyes penetrating his green as the world blacked out.

* * *

**Well there's the first chapter. Hope you enjoy it**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry woke up from his best sleep of the summer, his mind for once not keeping him up with the usual nightmares. Grabbing his glasses from the table beside him he moved into a sitting position, observing the room around him. It was plainly decorated, with two chairs next to his bed, blank walls, and another empty bed on the other side of the room. Getting up from the bed, he swore loudly as pain shot up his leg, causing him to sit back down.

The door to his right opened and in a second he was throttled by a mass of bushy hair choking the life out of him.

"Hermione…need…to… breathe" Harry rasped.

"Sorry, Harry" she exclaimed jumping back, watching him critically. He looked to see the rest of the Weasleys standing there except for Bill, Percy and Charlie. They were all staring at him, as if he was about to break, making him uncomfortable.

"What happened to me, after those guys?" Harry asked, looking to Mr Weasley specifically.

"Well Harry, after you blacked out we took care of the girls who were there. You were bleeding too profusely to heal there, so I apparated you here to St Mungo's. At Harry's quizzical look he continued, "St Mungos is our Wizarding hospital."

"Who were those guys?" Harry asked questioningly.

"Death Eaters" Mr Weasley responded, his voice laced with venom as he spoke the words. "They were You-Know-Who's devoted followers during the first war. They are vile people, torturing for fun, murdering without a second thought, and treating muggles like scum.

"So what were they doing there? I mean Voldemort…" ignoring everyone's gasps as he continued "isn't around, so why did they come?"

"One can only guess Harry. Maybe they were trying to relive the past, trying to show the population that they are still at large and powerful. However, what it has shown is that their prowess with their wands hasn't declined in the least. Not even one death eater was caught" the last sentence coming out painfully from his mouth. "Anyway" he continued, stopping Harry's questions. "I need to go check with the healers about taking you home" he finished with a smile, taking the twins and his wife along, leaving Harry with his best friends.

Hermione and Ron looked at him awkwardly, not knowing how to continue. Fortunately for Harry, he still had questions to ask, and Hermione was just the person for the job.

"Hermione, that girl I helped, who is she?" he inquired.

"Oh her, she's Daphne Greengrass, she's a Slytherin in our year" she replied.

"Merlin! You injured yourself just to save a snake" Ron interrupted looking aghast at the very idea.

Ignoring his friend's outburst he continued. "What can you tell me about her?" he asked trying not to look too interested.

Hermione looked at her friend suspiciously for a second before replying. "Well, I don't know a lot about her since we've never spoken. But I do know that she's incredibly intelligent. Almost top in our year before me" she stated proudly. "However, she always beats me when it comes to runes and potions, and in DADA, it's you first, then her, and me third."

"How do you even know this?" asked a dumbfounded Ron.

"Because unlike you Ronald, I pay attention. If you did too, you'd know at the end of the year, our professors put out our rankings by subject" Hermione replied haughtily. "Which is how I know that Harry and Daphen are top in defence."

Looking like she swallowed a rock, Harry didn't press on, not wanting to further upset his friend for not being first in every subject. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find out he was top in defence for the year.

"I still can't believe you risked your life just to save some slimy Slytherins" Ron responded again, looking incredibly disturbed at the situation.

"I didn't know they were Slytherins when I ran to help them. What I did know was that those men were going to do unspeakable acts to those girls, and no one deserves that" he shot back. He didn't want to mention that he knew they were in Slytherin, knowing that would set Ron off again. "Anyway, I've never seen Greengrass hang out with Malfoy and his group of idiots, so she can't be that bad" he finished off, not knowing why he was defending the girl.

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but Mrs Weasley poked her head into the room at that moment. "Harry dear, you have a visitor"

The visitor walked in, his grey beard coming to his belt, adorning bright purple robes with green swirls.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry looked at the man who walked through the door. "What are you doing here?" surprise etched on his face.

"I came here to discuss a few things with you, Harry. Ms Granger and Mr Weasley, would you mind giving us a few minutes. Ron looked annoyed again that he wasn't part of the conversation; however, Hermione grabbed his arm and escorted him out. Even she seemed irritated that the headmaster didn't want them there.

Ignoring his friends' antics, he looked up at the headmaster, his customary twinkle in place, as he conjured a chintzy-looking chair and sat down.

"What do you want to talk about sir?" Harry asked.

"We have much to discuss, mainly the current events and what they implicate. But first would you explain what happened yesterday, Arthur gave me the brief story, but I was hoping you could tell me in detail" Dumbledore requested.

Harry went on to tell him the story, he added as much as he could remember, telling him the spells he used, what the men said and the sighting of the mark. Dumbledore stayed quiet through the story, listening intently until Harry finished.

"Harry, you fought valiantly once again, even saving your classmates from grievous harm, yet you don't look happy with the turn of events" Dumbledore looked at him, his blue eyes piercing his.

Harry shifted in his seat, looking down at his hands as he spoke "They overpowered me in the end. If it wasn't for that mark appearing in the sky, I would have been dead by now, and who knows what would have happened to those girls. I don't see it as a victory; I see it as myself getting lucky" he finished, his voice showing his defeat.

"No Harry" Dumbledore replied, his voice firm. "I could not have expected any more from you", Harry looked up surprised, as Dumbledore continued. "I'm sure you've been informed those men were death eaters. Harry do you know how Voldemort chose his death eaters?"

"No sir"

"His death eaters are personally chosen by him, the people he finds to be the most powerful wizards, those who he trusted. He had hundreds; maybe thousands of followers in the first war, but only a handful of them are marked as his death eaters, and are part of his coveted inner circle. Therefore, Harry for you, a boy still shy of his fourteenth birthday able to best two of them, shows how remarkable you are! They have years ahead of you in knowledge and training, yet you still came out on top. You should not feel ashamed of yourself."

To say Harry was shocked would be an understatement; he stayed quiet for a few moments before responding. "Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore merely chuckled, before he continued. "However, this talk does allow me to broach the real reason I'm here. In your story Harry, what did the man do when he saw the mark appear in the sky?"

"He looked really scared, then apparated away with his two friends"

"Exactly. That's what we need to talk about." Dumbledore explained.

"The mark sir?" Harry responded, looking confused. "Aren't the appearance of the death eaters and the mark linked. Didn't they set it off?"

"Ahh that is what many think Harry, but as you told me, the man ran away from the mark when it appeared in the sky. The mark is Voldemort's signature in a way. Back when he was in power, the mark was set over places where he and his followers had murdered someone." At this Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore pressed on. "Now when you defeated him in Godric's Hollow almost thirteen years ago, as you know many of his followers 'renounced' their old ways, saying they were under the control of Voldemort so they wouldn't be thrown into Azkaban" Dumbledore finished.

"So what are you trying to say, sir?"

"Well, once Voldemort was gone most of his former death eaters settled down into jobs, and tried to continue on with their lives as if nothing happened. No one went to search to see if he was alive and help him back into power. So you can see why they were so fearful of the mark is because if he is back, they would be in immense trouble with him, for never seeking out their master."

"So what you're saying sir, is that Voldemort is coming back?" Harry said.

"Yes, Harry. I do not know when or even how, but you out of all people should know that. He has already made two attempts, and he does not give up easily." Dumbledore finished ominously.

"Sir, I do think Voldemort will be coming back quite soon." At Dumbledore's raised eyebrow, Harry proceeded to explain his dream about Voldemort and his followers. "- and they kept mentioning some plan they had in place."

Dumbledore rose from his seat as Harry told his story, pacing near the bed. "And you do not remember this followers' name."

"No, sir. So what do you think my dream means?"

"I have a lot of ideas, but nothing conclusive Harry. But it does prove a strong point that Voldemort will be trying to come back soon. Very well Harry, this only provides a stronger argument for why I had to see you today." At Harry's confused glance Dumbledore continued. "Your death eater incidence, while it showed me you're much better than your peers when it comes to combat, you still need to train to be better."

"For Voldemort," Harry asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes, Harry. Voldemort has years more experience than you in combat. His knowledge of magic is unmatched, even by me in many accounts. He has diversified his knowledge in many branches of magic, making him a very formidable opponent."

"I have to train to beat him," Harry spoke, talking mostly to himself.

"You must Harry, but do not forget about your studies. As I said Voldemort's knowledge is in many branches of magic, mainly the dark arts, but he still has vast knowledge in other areas."

Harry knew he was right. He had to focus more on his studies, the past three years he had a lacklustre attitude towards work. He had followed Ron's example of only working at the last minute, and never putting real effort in. But he couldn't blame Ron for his work ethic; it was down to him now. "You're right sir. I will try harder in my studies."

"That's what I like to hear Harry. Now in the spirit of your training, I was wondering what you thought of your subject choice in Divination?" At Harry's facial expression, Dumbledore chuckled and continued. "Yes, that's what I thought too, after reading your files on it."

"I just would prefer if I didn't have to go a lesson, without Professor Trelawney predicting my death." Harry finished, eliciting another chuckle from Dumbledore.

"Well, I thought of a solution. As I explained, Lord Voldemort knows many different and obscure magic. I feel you would benefit from learning Ancient Runes. It teaches you all about wards and how to identify them, erect them, and break them down. It could be very helpful to you, and your training. So with your permission, I would switch you into the Ancient Runes class."

Harry didn't even have to think about it before he answered. "Yes, I will drop Divination; I found it pretty useless to me anyway. But professor, I have missed the entire third year, and I'll be quite far behind the rest of the class."

"Not to worry Harry. You still have a month before school commences, and I am sure Ms Granger would be glad to lend her notes, and I can expect them to be quite thorough on the subject." Dumbledore finished with a smile. "Do you have any other questions?"

"Just one more professor. Will you be helping me with my training, or will it just be me?"

"It will just be you. I believe that you will be your own best teacher Harry, just as I taught myself, and all other great wizards who've done it. However, I will ask you to demonstrate your abilities periodically throughout the year, to see your progress."

Harry was satisfied with that answer and gave a nod. "Thank you once again, professor."

"No worries whatsoever Harry," Dumbledore said as he stood up from his chair. "Oh I almost forgot!" he said turning around, he reached into his robe procuring three brown folders, dropping them on the table next to Harry's bed. "For motivation," he said with a wink as he walked through the doors.

Harry made sure he was alone before he opened the files. Almost dropping them in shock, he sat open-mouthed as he realised what they were. His parents' and Sirius' Hogwarts folders for their entire seven years. His father's and Sirius' were noticeably thicker than his mothers, and he laughed as he saw the incidents and the number of detentions they got.

He was pleased to see that each incident was done in detail of the pranks that each of them had done around the school, mostly on Snape. _No wonder he hates my dad so much_, he thought bitterly to himself. He also noticed that in his mother's seventh year, she started getting quite a few detentions, and by looking at his father's file, the detentions were usually with him. _I guess that's when they started dating; _not being able to control the smile on his face, for what was already becoming one of his prized possessions.

Finally, he found what Dumbledore must have been talking about. Even though they were always messing around, Sirius and his father's grades were unbelievable. They were both ranked in the top ten in their year, making him feel ashamed and angry about himself. Knowing, he was going to feel worse as he looked at his mother's results, he couldn't help still feel proud, that she as a Muggle-born witch was the top of her year. Harry knew he wasn't dumb, but he just didn't apply himself. He knew he had to train to his best this year, and make his parents proud of him.

_I will get better… I have to._

* * *

It had been two weeks since Harry's talk with Dumbledore at St Mungo's, and true to his promise he was working as hard as he could. He was finding Ancient Runes fascinating with real aptitude in the subject, and with Hermione's help, he was progressing quickly through the third year context. He had asked Ron if he wanted to transition with him, only getting a scoff in a return answer. Things were still rough between the two friends, so Harry usually found himself in the company of the twins, immensely enjoying himself as they included him in their different prototypes. At the moment, he sat with the oldest Weasley who was explaining the intricacies of Latin runes.

"So you see while Gaelic were the first runes created by the British, they often had problems because they were not able to sustain too much power and often ended up exploding. Therefore, while they could power a rune that would produce light, they wouldn't be able to power a rune such as a cluster rune because it wouldn't be able to maintain such energy and explode."

"Whereas with the Latin runes they were built to sustain more energy and power from a wizard and can, therefore, last longer. That's why you can see the pattern is drawn this way in the rune circle." Bill explained.

"Ohh, now I get it! Thanks, Bill." Harry exclaimed grabbing his rune dictionary and making the additional notes.

As he copied the extra notes down, Ron walked broom in hand into the room. "Hey, Harry! Fred, George and I are planning a pickup game, and we need a fourth."

"Um, not right now Ron, this was the only free time Bill had to help me this week, and so I'll have to decline. Maybe later?" he spoke distractedly still copying the notes down.

"Come on Harry, you've only been studying since you came back. I swear you've studied more than Hermione in the last two weeks." Causing a huff and glare from said girl, reading on the couch.

"Take a break. Merlin, sometimes you're not even studying Ancient Runes, and just reading books from previous years. What's up with you?" He continued.

"Ron, Bill is helping me right now. I'm only halfway through the third year course, and I only have two weeks to go before school starts. I'll be done in around two hours. And why don't you ask Ginny to play with you, Hermione tells me she's a great chaser." He said finally looking up at the boy.

"Ginny! Please, fine never mind, I'll just do practice throws with the twins then." He glared at Harry one more time, before stalking off.

"Pardon me for my intrusion Harry, but what's exactly been going on between you and Ron recently. It seems like one of you is constantly mad at the other." Bill asked inquisitively.

"I'm not mad at Ron; it's just that he's been angry with me since the world cup. Then he got even more annoyed when he learnt that I dropped Divination, even though I offered him to change with me. Don't worry about it Bill, it's his problem to figure out, not mine." He finished with a sigh, as he went back to work.

* * *

September 1st arrived, and with it a frenzied rush around The Burrow as blurs of red-headed Weasley's ran around the house, trying to find stray socks and the usual collisions on the staircase. Harry and Hermione watched downstairs with avid amusement, as Ms Weasley juggled shouting at her children, while simultaneously ordering taxis to take them to Kings Cross.

They arrived with minutes to spare, and rushed through the barrier of 9 and ¾ as inconspicuously as possible, to not attract muggles. They said a round of quick goodbyes; Charlie and Bill still teasing the twins about what would be happening at Hogwarts this year as they finally boarded the scarlet engine. Declining the twins' request to sit with them and their friends, Harry joined Ron and Hermione in securing a compartment.

"So what do you think this special event is this year?" Ron asked quizzically. "Bill and Charlie kept telling me all summer that it'll be our best year" his voice laced with excitement.

"As long as it doesn't get in the way of our classes. Fourth year is really important you know. It's so close to our OWLs" Hermione replied while reading her arithmancy book.

"Blimey Hermione! We have two years till our exams and you're already panicking about them. Isn't she a nutter Harry?" Ron added.

"She's not a nutter Ron, but he does have a point, Hermione. You still have a chance to relax, school hasn't even started." Harry said, looking out the window as London blurred away.

* * *

Two carriages away, Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davies were having a heated discussion.

"You have to go and thank him. Merlin, Daphne, he saved you and Astoria's lives. The least you can do is thank him, and then maybe drag him to a broom closet where-"

"Enough Tracey", Daphne replied menacingly. "I will go apologise to him, but no I would never take the Gryffindor Golden boy to a broom closet, get your mind out the gutter."

"But it would be such a romantic story, he saves you, you guys start dating and make the most adorable bab-" but cut off as Daphne's hand covered her mouth.

"Please for the sake of humanity and your life; stop talking before I blast you out this window"

Before Tracey could remark, with what probably would have been another dirty reference, their door was opened to display Malfoy followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Ahh ladies, I was wondering where you had gone off to. Why aren't you sitting with me in my compartment, I'm sure it would be pleasurable for both of you." He spoke as he sat down, sitting nauseatingly close to Daphne.

"Well Draco, I'd rather not do that because unlike Pansy, I have some self-respect and I'm not impressed by anything you say or do," Daphne replied, her voice soft but her eyes glaring.

"Interesting you talk about self respect Greengrass when I hear Potter had to save you during the World Cup. Imagine how our house would take the fact that you were protected by him."

"I'm surprised you know that Draco" this time Tracey speaking up. "Is it because your daddy was hidden behind one of those masks?" she asked with mock innocence, causing Daphne to grin.

Draco stood up, pointing his wand at Tracey, at the same time, Daphne pointing hers at Draco. "Put your wand down Draco and walk away. You may speak a tough game, but we both know I can best you" she spoke up threateningly.

Draco looked like he was going to argue, before putting his wand down and ushering Crabbe and Goyle out of the compartment, but looked back one more time-"You better watch out Greengrass, you and your half-blood friend there. You will learn to show me respect one day, or you'll find yourself in a world of trouble" his eyes glaring at the two girls, as he slammed the door behind him.

"That boy is such a creep. I can't believe he's still trying his objective of bedding every girl in Slytherin, thinking we'll just fawn over him." Tracey said disgust evident in her voice.

"You think that was bad. You haven't had to attend four summer balls, where his family was there, and I was forced to converse with him." Daphne added, shuddering at the memory.

"Yeah, that does sound infinitely worse. Sometimes there are benefits to not being a pureblood" eliciting a laugh from Daphne.

"I'm going to get something from the trolley lady Tracey. Do you want anything? My treat"

"My hero" she laughed. "Just some Pumpkin pasties if they have some"

Daphne walked out of her compartment. Not spotting the lady anywhere in her carriage she walked towards the end of the train, knowing that's where she started her rounds. When she got to the last carriage, she spotted her and a small line. Standing in line, her breath stopped as she recognised the patented messy hair of the boy who stood in front of her. Knowing this was her chance before anyone could recognise her, she cleared her throat loudly, getting his attention.

"Greengrass?" Harry asked surprised at this sudden encounter.

"Potter" she replied, her voice neutral. "I just wanted to um" the last bit stammering. _Come on Daphne! Just thank the bloody boy so you can never talk to him again._ "I just wanted to thank you, for your help that night."

Harry's eyes sparked in understanding. "Not a problem. Anyone would have done it, I was just there. I didn't even help much to be honest" he laughed. "Got a bit lucky there, didn't I?"

Daphne's eyebrows rose to this response. This definitely wasn't the Harry Potter that Draco explained him to be. She still remembered his stories in their common room where he would gather the whole house to explain how much of a show-off Potter was. Of course, he was a biased source on Potter, and a complete arsehole.

"Yeah, well you still helped me from an unfortunate fate" she trailed off, Harry knowing exactly the dire position she had been in.

Harry had finished off his purchase as their talk concluded. Pulling back the sleeves of his oversized shirt, he replied; "Well, I'll see you around Greengrass" waving as he walked away.

"See you," she said softly as he walked back into his compartment. Quickly finishing her purchases, she went back to Tracey.

* * *

"… then he said bye, and we were done. So you can finally stop harping about it."

"That's it" Tracey replied, her voice sounding let down. "There was no romantic moment, where you looked into each other's eyes and realised that fate is…"

"Oh Merlin, please shut up" but this time even she laughed at her friends' antics. "But I will tell you something else. The way he accepted my thanks, shows he's nothing like Draco's portrayed him to be all these years. The attention seeking or the storytelling parts. He was downright humble about it."

"Of course he isn't like that Daphne! Since when did you even listen to Draco's bullshit?. He hates Potter, obviously he's going to say that. But one thing's for true. Every year there's some wild conspiracy theory at the end of the year, and each time Potter has a major part in it. Yet we never know the true story" she concluded.

"You're right about that. Potter is a real enigma."

* * *

Hours later the train finally stopped at Hogsmeade station. Even though it was September, there was a torrent of rain, forcing students to quickly get onto the horseless carriages. In one of these carriages, sat Harry and his friends, a smile on his face as he viewed the picturesque castle in all its glory. Hermione cast warming charms on both of her friends as they walked into the great hall, awaiting the sorting ceremony.

"I wonder who our new defence professor will be now that Lupin's gone" Hermione inquired as the trio took a seat.

"Probably some old bloke, who doesn't know his wand from his ass," said Ron moodily as he stared into his empty plate.

"Ronald, will you have some patience! You already ate enough on the train, how is it possible you need more."

"My brain needs the nutrients" he replied with a whine

"If that was the case, you'd never need to eat." Hermione quipped causing Harry to laugh at Ron's death glare. "Ok now be quiet, the sorting has started." They watched quietly as twenty kids got put into their respective houses. Harry and Hermione clapping for any new Gryffindors, while Ron just kept murmuring about chicken pot pie.

Finally, the Hogwarts feast had arrived and for many of the new Gryffindors, their first sight was Ron stuffing two chicken drumsticks into his mouth while piling potatoes on his plate.

"Charming Ronald, you really are a perfect gentleman" Hermione sighed, but still suppressing a grin.

Ron opened his mouth to reply, food spilling out when the doors of the Great Hall thundered open revealing a man. Well to Harry, half a man would have been the right world. He recognised his face from the newspapers, but couldn't place it, until Ron whispered his name.

Alastor Moody, or Mad-Eye as he come to be known walked down the length of the Great Hall, without saying a word, sat down, and started piling food onto his plate.

"Ahh, let me welcome our newest member of faculty, Professor Alastor Moody, and would everyone please show him a warm welcome", to which the Weasley twins clapped the loudest.

"Half the cells in Azkaban are filled because of him", George told Harry from across the table. "If he's teaching us, we're in for a real treat."

Harry looked at the grizzled ex-auror and knew this was a man not to be trifled with. But Harry knew that his defence classes would only be small compared to the real training he had to do, which reminded him to find places to practice. He hadn't told either of his friends his plan, because he knew they'd persistently ask questions about why he had to do it, and he couldn't tell them the real reason. Voldemort was his problem only.

The feast ended, and Dumbledore stood up, quieting the great hall at once. Harry didn't know how he did it, but Dumbledore had an aura that just made people listen to him, probably what made him a great leader and an even better headmaster. _Damn, sometimes I wish I could do that._

"Well, here we are once again. Another school year commences and all the essentials that go with it. Many of you have the most important exams of your lives this year, and I wish you all the luck. However, let's not scare you already" making members of the audience laugh. "But this year will be different, many of you must have heard some rumours from friends or parents about what may be happening. This year Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!"

Whispers broke out all over the school, as the implications of this year finally reached them. Harry looked to his friends, with Ron giving his full attention to Dumbledore, while Hermione whispered about safety and regulations to herself.

"Many of you must have heard about the tournament, and all the fame and glory that comes with such a prestigious event. There will be three contenders, from three different schools" causing another flurry of whispers to erupt.  
"At the end of October, we will be joined by the magical schools of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Now I have someone here to explain the intracicies of the tournament: Mr Bartemius Crouch, head of the department for International Magical Cooperation."

A tall man, walked to the stand. He stood rigidly, his gray hair thinning, and his pencil moustache brushed. Harry had seen these men before, a stickler for rules, and one to never allow any leniency. "I'm sure many of you have heard of this tournament, but for the uneducated ones let me explain now. The tournament consists of three events to test the courage and daring of the participants, who will be picked by an unbiased third party." He pointed to a casket, which opened revealing the goblet of fire.  
"This tournament isn't for the light-hearted or weak, let me warn you. Some know about the… bloody past of this tournament and so we have added restrictions."

The Great Hall was in pin drop silence, clinging on to every one of Crouch's words. "The first restriction which would be the age limit. Participants of only 17 years and older may comp-" His sentence remained incomplete as the hall erupted into pandemonium. Harry remained sat down while others in his house shouted, Ron, being highly vocal on the topic. This way his year would be uninterrupted with just his focus on training.

"SILENCE" Dumbledore thundered, his voice quieting everyone down. "Like Mr Crouch said this isn't for the light-hearted and he is right. Your magical knowledge must be at its height to even think about participating. I am not trying to deter anyone from entering, but you must know the severity of this tournament."  
"Once entered, there is no turning back, as you have entered the highest possible magically binding contract, with the consequences of breaking them- loss of magic or death" his eyes piercing the audience.  
"But enough with this, you shall learn more as October comes to an end. This year is also about unity, we must show other schools that each house in Hogwarts are unified as one. And so I plead many of you to break down these house barriers and have the chance to start new and exciting friendships."

At this Harry looked towards the Slytherin table, looking out for a blonde haired beauty, quickly looking away he smiled to himself. Unknown to himself, he missed the gaze she shot at him a few seconds prior. _Maybe this year will be better._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first day of lessons rolled around for the students of Hogwarts, some distressed about the exams they had this year, while others excited for the start of a new year.

Harry wasn't sure if he fell into either category. His dreams last night had been anything but pleasant, leading him to wake up earlier than everyone in his house. Doing his usual morning routine while his roommates slept, he walked down, pulling out his Ancient Runes book as he grabbed a seat next to the dying embers of the fireplace.

This is where Hermione found her friend two hours later, so engrossed in his book that he hadn't even heard her come down the stairs. "You're up early", she remarked.

His head turned up in surprise, not realising his friend was there. He hadn't even realised that she wasn't the only person there, with most people already down in the common room. _I need to pay more attention sometimes_. "Yeah couldn't sleep. Excited about the first day", he replied, hoping she wouldn't persist with any more questions.

"Are you su-" but she was cut off by Ron's monstrous yawn as he walked towards his two friends. "Oh Ron, you're finally here, we need to get going now!" she almost shouted, pulling Harry up from the chair and dragging the two boys towards the portrait entrance.

"Merlin, Hermione, what's the damn rush?" Ron snapped; sleepiness still evident in his voice.

"We need to get to the front of the table, right next to the professor's seats" she replied quickly, still pulling the two boys along as she practically ran down the halls.

"Why exactly do we need to do that?" this time Harry asking the question.

"Timetables" she replied, causing the two boys to roll their eyes, and jog after their friend.

* * *

Hermione was practically jumping in her seat, when McGonagall finally rose from her chair with a stack of parchments. "Hermione, will you relax. How does it matter what order of lessons we have?" Ron spoke up, bits of bacon spilling out his mouth.

Hermione didn't dignify his question with a response.

"Ahh, Ms Granger why am I not surprised you're at the front of the table." Professor McGonagall inquired, a soft smile on her face. "Well, let's see, you'll be continuing with Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures?" she asked, pointing her wand at the parchment.

"Yes Professor", she replied with an eager nod, almost snatching the timetable from her hands.

"Well, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, you boys take the same subjects, don't you? No, I apologise. Potter the headmaster informed me of your new subject choice. It's good to see you taking more effort in your education, and I hope it'll be the same in my class" she finished with a smile, as she handed the timetables to the boys.

"Oh and Mr Weasley, take this also," she said, conjuring a napkin for him and fixing him with a stern glare as she walked away, cause Harry and Hermione to laugh.

"Well, let's see what we have today" Hermione spoke, mostly to herself. "We've got potions twice today. At least it's not the first lesson" she said at Ron's face of disgust.

"Hermione, potions at any time of the day, is a drag" Harry replied. "What else is today?"

"We've got History of Magic first, ancient runes and transfiguration"

"Great, History is first!" Ron replied

"Why Ron, I didn't know you liked History" she inquired

"I don't, but it's a great nap, especially for the first day of the week"; causing Harry to laugh once again at Hermione's annoyed stare.

* * *

"Seriously, Ronald! I'm tired of having to give you my notes just because the class bores you" Hermione huffed angrily.

They had just walked out of History of Magic, and true to his words, Ron had fallen asleep. No matter how tempted Harry was to join him, he knew he had to focus, he had made a promise to Dumbledore.

"Hermione, no one manages to stay awake in that class. His voice makes me sleep, I can't control it", he remarked.

"Well, I managed to stay awake. Even Harry did! He even made his own notes"

"Well then I'll borrow Harry's notes," he said with a pleading voice.

Harry shrugged and kept walking.

"Mate where are you going, divination is this way" Ron spoke up as Harry and Hermione walked down the stairs.

"Ron, I have ancient runes with Hermione now. We'll meet up at lunch, yeah?"

"Oh sorry I forgot about your new attitude towards school" he scoffed. "I guess I'll just go alone then," he remarked as he stomped the other way. Harry rolled his eyes at his behaviour, and walked with Hermione to class.

The pair reached Ancient runes seconds before the bell struck for their second period. Harry looked at the students in the class. By far it was his smallest class, with only a handful of students. He and Hermione were the only Gryffindors, joined by Susan Bones in Hufflepuff, Terry Boot and Michael Corner from Ravenclaw. The class also included three Slytherins: Daphne, Tracey and another girl Harry had seen hang out with Pansy; Millicent Bulstrode.

Hermione had already sat down in the front with Susan Bones, leaving Harry to stand awkwardly by the door, as everyone in the class started intensely at him.

"Ahh, you must be Mr Potter. Professor McGonagall told me you'd be showing up today" a soft voice spoke.  
"I'm Professor Babbling. Now let's see where should I put you?" the professor said, looking around the classroom. "Ah, there is a free spot next to Ms Davies."

Harry thanked the professor, ignoring everyone's stares as he walked to his desk, sitting down next to Tracey.

"Now, last year we covered the basics and fundamentals of runes. This year won't be so easy. I know you students are now proficient in Latin and Gaelic runes, but we must move on to a new set of runic language. For the first term, we will be learning about Ancient Greek runes, assessing the similarities and differences with the rune languages we have already learnt." The fact that the students had to learn another language elicited a groan from most of the class.

Ignoring the chagrin of her class, Babbling continued: "Now with your partners, turn to page 130, read the background on the Ancient Greeks and make notes."

Harry opened his book to the designated pages and started reading: _The first known sighting of Ancient Greek runes were founded in Mesopotamia in the-_

"Psst Potter, what are you doing here? I never knew a student who changed their electives one year into a course before." Tracy whispered.

Harry looked up from the textbook, wondering if he should tell the truth. Since there was no harm in telling her; he replied-"Yeah I know it's unusual, but to be honest Dumbledore offered, and I'd take any chance to drop Divination."

"So you're saying the headmaster personally came to you and asked you to switch subjects? Why would he do that?" she remarked sceptically.

"I know it sounds absurd, but that's the truth," he said looking straight at her eyes as he talked. "And for the why bit, that's between him and me. Sorry" he said once again before going back to his textbook. She remained quiet for the class, her attention hardly focused on the textbook.

"Ok class, that's about all the time we have. Next time I'll bring in some runes, and we'll start to learn the basics of the languages. Also for next week, ten inches of parchment on the history on the finding of the Greek runes."

* * *

So what were you and Potter talking about in class today?" Daphne inquired as they walked into the Great Hall for lunch.

"Nothing much to be honest. I just asked him why he was in our class", Tracey replied as the girls took a seat at the Slytherin table.

"And?" Daphne pressed, adding food onto her plate.

"He said Dumbledore requested that he switched into Ancient Runes" she replied.

"Dumbledore!" she scoffed. "He seriously said that our headmaster personally asked him to switch classes?"

"That's what I said. He said it was the truth and I actually believe him", Tracey said as she started to eat.

"Believe him. How can you believe something as ludicrous as that!" she said, almost laughing at the thought.

"Because, he has no reason to lie about it, and I thought of it the entire class. Like you said on the train, Draco was wrong about him. So why would he make up something like this? And he wasn't attention-seeking or anything like that. He didn't say it in a bragging fashion, it just sounded like the truth and I couldn't sense any deceit in him" Tracey finished.

"You may be right actually. Plus we've seen it over the years, how close he and the headmaster is. With all the special treatment he's given Potter over the years you'd think it was his grandson." She responded, thinking specifically of the time the headmaster gave Gryffindor just the right amount of housepoints to beat Slytherin in her first year.

"Exactly, it was the truth! Plus when he said it, his magnificent eyes…" she swooned. "I bet you'd stare at them for hours-"

"Oh, sweet Merlin not this again" Daphne sighed, covering her ears so she didn't have to hear Tracey's latest love speech.

* * *

Potions was the same dark and dreary classroom atmosphere it had been for the last three years. Also, like the previous years, they shared their potions class with the Slytherins. Sometimes Harry wondered if Dumbledore did this to administer his policy of unity. He had chosen to sit down next to Neville this time due to Ron's behaviour at lunch.

Ron had come from Divination in a foul mood, blaming it on Harry's absence. He then went on to complain about being given a dream diary to fill out for the month. Harry had left early from lunch just to get away from his best friends' constant scathing remarks.

Snape soon walked in, his dark robe billowing behind him, his face only seen by the candles on the wall. "Welcome to fourth-year potions. For many of you, I'm surprised you made it past the first three years", the professor remarked, shooting a look towards Neville and Harry. "But this year, shall not be easy, and I will not be as lenient as the previous years.

"The last years were him being lenient" whispered a terrified Neville to Harry. Harry knew this year he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. The folders Dumbledore gave him at the hospital, gave him an insight into Snape's hatred towards him. It was still poorly directed, but Harry wouldn't give him the satisfaction by making mistakes.

Snape continued –"Now due to the events taking place this year, the headmaster has asked for greater house cooperation", the words coming out in a way that sounded like it pained him to say it. "So for this year, each of you, will be partnered with one from the other house, and if I hear a single complaint, you'll be cleaning up my store room for the next month!" he finished menacingly.

"Now I have randomly allocated each person to their partner, once you have been seated together, your job is to make the pepper-up potion. The instructions are in your books and the board", he said as he flicked his wand at the blackboard causing the chalk to start writing.

"Weasley and Bulstrode"

"Granger and Parkinson", Harry turned to give her a sympathetic look as she moved her equipment to sit with Pansy.

"Finnigan and Davies"

The list continued, until finally

"Greengrass with … Potter" he finished, his eyes fixed on the messy haired boy. Harry stared back refusing to show him any weakness.

He moved to Daphne's table, only to see Tracey give her a wink and walk off.

Harry, had barely sat down before Daphne spoke-"Ok Potter listen up. I'm top in this class, and your performance affects my grade. So you better listen to what I have to say" she huffed.

"Fine" Harry said, opening the page in his book. "What do you want me to do first?"

Daphne's eyebrows rose, at the ease of his acceptance to her leadership. "Start cutting the aconite. Very thinly, and at a forty-five degree angle."

"The book, just says to roughly cut it up though. Why are you being so precise?"

"What did I say about listening to what I have to say?" she shot back. At his reaction, she realised she was being too harsh. "Sorry. Cutting it thinly and at that degree allows it to get infused easily into the mixture, saving mixing time. Also when you get onto step four, don't chop the root of asphodel like the instructions say. Instead, grind it into a powder."

"Woah, how do you know stuff like this?" he inquired, while cutting the aconite per her directions.

"My mum. She's brilliant at potions, she taught me a lot before Hogwarts. I've actually done most of these potions at home."

"That's amazing. You could probably teach me quite a bit then. Potions isn't my strongest subject."

"I don't think that's true Potter. From what I've observed over the years is that you're quite… passable at potions. You often just get distracted, either by Weasley or something else" looking at Snape as she said it, making Harry laugh.

"Thanks, I'll take a passable for potions" he laughed again, making Daphne smile.

Snape interrupted their conversation as he approached the table. "Ahh Ms Greengrass how is the potion going. I hope our resident celebrity isn't bringing down your usual high quality."

"No Professor. He's been fine sir" she spoke, adding crushed lacewing flies to the potion causing it to go to the required pinkish tint. Snape looked rather upset at her answer. Peering at the potion, he gave her a curt nod, walking off to the next pair of students.

"Thanks for that" he whispered as Snape walked away.

"No problem." She was quiet for most of the lesson before she broached a new subject. "So Tracey told me what you guys talked about in runes today."

"Did she?" he replied, his eyes looking down and focused at the ingredient he was chopping.

"That's pretty cool that the Headmaster told you to switch subject just at his request."

"Yeah I guess" was his only reply, his focus still on his ingredients.

_Merlin, he's like a brick wall. _**"**Why do you think so?" she asked hoping to get a longer answer for him.

Harry finally looked up from his work, and stared at her, thinking of his answer carefully. He didn't want to tell her the full truth, but seeing as she was the reason for it he answered. "Well, actually it's because of you."

"Me?" she answered, surprise evident in her voice.

"Well after the… incident, he visited me and we talked. I addressed my fear about being overpowered by the death eaters, and he suggested I be more invested in my education. Ergo runes."

"Oh, how nice of him." She knew he wasn't telling her the full story, but from this interaction alone, she knew he wasn't a person to part with his secrets that easily. "Well, I think the potion is almost finished…"

* * *

For the last lesson of the day, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had transfiguration together. Professor McGonagall was one of Harry's favourite teachers. She was always unbiased, an incredibly skilled teacher and most importantly an avid fan of Quidditch.

From the files Dumbledore had given him, he had found about his own father's prodigious talent in the subject. James Potter had been the top of his year in transfiguration, for all his years in Hogwarts.

"Welcome back to another year of transfiguration and another year closer to your OWLs", the class becoming quiet immediately as McGonagall addressed them.

"This year, we will delve deeper into the core principals of transfiguration. If your work from last year hasn't been perfected, you will struggle to keep up this year. Be warned", fixing the students with a stern glare.

Harry thanked himself for going over the techniques and wand movements during the last month in the Burrow. With his training, he'd also start to practice spells before even being taught them.

"Today, we'll be starting with a practical lesson. You'll be doing the vanishing spell. The incantation is 'Evanesco'. Your wand movement must be perfect to ensure that the object vanishes completely. It is achieved by half a clockwise movement, and a flick. Like so", she said, demonstrating the spell on a mouse, causing it to vanish immediately.

"Yes, Ms Granger?" the professor asked after Hermione had shot her hand up.

"Where does the object go once it's been vanished?" she inquired.

"Into non-being, which is to say everything." At the entire class' confused look, she continued, "Magic is not what we just see physically, but all around us. It is the compound that makes every one of us operate, and function as witches and wizards. Now when I say into non-being, I mean that it has moved into another intangible atmosphere. However, we do not go further into these intracicies until your NEWT year. Also, Mr Longbottom looks like he may hyperventilate if I go any further", making the class laugh.

"Now I want you to attempt this spell, on the snails on your table. Snails are invertebrate, and so easier to vanish than other animals. As we progress further into the year, I will make you practice on bigger animals, such as the mouse I showed you. Also, for next week I want a full essay on the history of the spell, its uses and functions. Now go on."

She started pacing the classroom, correcting people's wand movements and incantations. Only fifteen minutes before the end of the lesson did Hermione get it, managing to vanish her snail completely.

"Good job Ms Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor," McGonagall remarked to a proudly smiling Hermione.

Hermione, turned behind her to look at Harry, who had managed to vanish only half of his snail. "It's ok Harry that you haven't gotten it yet, do you need any help?" she asked, annoying Harry.

"No, I'll attempt it one more time", he said coolly. He was annoyed by Hermione trying and failing to hide her look of superiority. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the new snail in front of him. "Evanesco!", the spell took action immediately, completely vanishing the small animal.

"Mr Potter! Well, I'm surprised, but glad. Two students getting it on their first class is quite rare. Take another ten points to Gryffindor. Looks like Ms Granger may have some extra competition this year", she said, a soft smile on her face as she walked away. Harry looked down at the empty spot on his table, happy his effort had paid off; unaware of the glare Hermione had shot his way.

* * *

Hermione came down from her dormitory to see Ron engaged in a chess match with Seamus. They had come back from dinner two hours ago, and she had spent the time going over the homework for the day.

"Harry where are you going? It's almost curfew", she questioned her friend as she spotted him walking towards the Fat Lady's portrait.

Harry turned around like a deer in headlights, sighing inwardly at the intrusion, and making sure the map and cloak were hidden in his pockets. He had wanted to go to the library to get some books so he could start his training, but he couldn't tell Hermione that. "I was just going out for a stroll."

"But Harry, we have homework to do! Babbling already set us homework, and so did McGonagall. "You can't take strolls or you'll fall behind!" she scolded.

Sighing, Harry replied- "I've already completed both of them, don't worry about it, Hermione. Do you mind if I go now?"

"You've finished them?" she replied sceptically. "Well I should check it; you tend to make quite a few mistakes."

"No I think I'll be fine", he replied coldly, walking through the Fat Lady's portrait.

He didn't know why, but Hermione's attitude had infuriated him. This added with her attitude in Transfiguration. He knew that he hadn't been the most punctual when it came to doing homework, the previous years had proved it. He often had waited for the last day and rushed it with Ron However, he didn't like her thinking that she could just remark on the quality of his work and help him. Plus, with his new attitude towards school, he had researched his work thoroughly, writing to the best of his ability.

He had started walking towards the library, with books already in mind. He wasn't only going to practice defence spells. Listening to Dumbledore's advice, he was going to cover the spells from all his subjects like charms and transfiguration. He had planned a schedule for himself and decided he'd start with defensive spells tonight, moving on to charms the day after.

Walking into the library, he picked out his chosen books, most excited to try _Practical Defence against the Dark Arts_. Happy with his selection, he moved to find an empty classroom, unaware of the person following him.

* * *

Daphne and Tracey had been working on their charms homework when they had first been rudely interrupted. Daphne always started her work early in the day, mostly to get the best seats which were near the fireplace. Due to the Slytherin common room being located in the dungeons and under the lake, their common room was always slight chilly and cold. Also an accurate representation of some students who stayed there.

The girls were pleasantly talking until they were interrupted."Greengrass, I saw you getting quite comfy with Potter in potions today. Why exactly would a girl of your high standing, lower yourself to talk to a half-blood" Draco sneered, settling himself comfortably on the couches opposite the girls.

"But it's alright for you to always talk to him? And for a half-blood such as him, I wonder why I can't recall you besting him in any duel or confrontation you've started with him?" she replied back coolly._ Why am I defending Potter?_

"Watch yourself Greengrass. Keep getting close with the golden boy, and me and some of the upper years will be wondering where your loyalties lie", he sneered.

"Malfoy maybe you can go give these speeches to someone who cares about your position in this house", this time Tracey speaking up.

"Davies, I'd watch that mouth of yours. Especially when it comes from someone of your blood. I still wonder how you were ever sorted here. I still feel you belong with the Hufflepuffs, or better yet, one of the squibs." Smirking at her reaction, he stood up and walked off.

"That bastard!" Tracey scream whispered. "Take away that boy's father, and he wouldn't even be looked at twice in this house. I'm going to bed", she said, her face flushed with anger. "The idiot ruined my night. You coming?"

"In a while", Daphne responded. "I actually need to go to the library, to get a book for this homework. Then I'll go to bed."

Tracey nodded, wishing her goodnight before walking up to the girls' dormitory.

Stretching, as she got up, Daphne walked out the common room. Even though she didn't enjoy the temperature of the common room, she liked that it was close to the library which was on the first floor, so easily convenient. Entering the library she look around it to see it practically deserted, as curfew was almost upon them. Only sixth and seventh years remained, who were allowed to stay out longer. She started to peruse the charms section, when through a crack in the books, she noticed Potter in the other section.

Not knowing why she was curious, she looked at the book he had in his hand, the title facing her. _Practical defence against the dark arts. But that's a book for sixth years. What is Potter doing with a book that advanced._ She knew he was first in DADA in their year, but he wasn't that good. _Is this what he was omitting in Potions. But why would Dumbledore want him to do this? It makes no sense._

Making a quick decision she started following him out the library. She hid behind the corner, and peered as he stood in the middle of the corridor. _Why is he just staring at some parchment. What's on it._ She heard him whisper something, putting the parchment in his pocket, taking a right towards the stairs. Waiting until he climbed the first set of stairs, she applied a charm on her feet to muffle any sounds, and quietly followed, sticking to the shadows. _I'd make a good assassin _she smirked to herself _or just some crazy stalker. Let's stick with an assassin. _

He got off on the third floor, taking a left. _Why is he going here. No classes are even taught in this corridor. _He rounded the corner, she quickly tiptoed to the end. Peering around the corner, she looked but he was gone. _What! Where could he have gone. There's nothing else here._ She walked into the corridor, peering into the empty classrooms. _Wait why do I even care?_

"How?" she questioned herself, walking past a tapestry as she turned back to the dungeons.

* * *

Harry smiled as he locked the unused classroom with the most complex locking charm he knew. That made him upset, as he realised the locking charm was quite simple; even a first year could break it. _Something to add the list._

The classroom was perfect, using the map to find it, and it was cleverly hidden. He had taken a shortcut through a tapestry, which had led him to a secluded area of the castle. _Only Fred and George could find me here, or maybe Ms Norris._

He opened the book he had procured from the library, but soon shut it after browsing through its contents. _I can't start with these complex spells. First I've got to perfect the spells I already know. I also need to research some spells to soundproof this room._

Pushing the tables and chairs to the side, Harry thought of the spells he should practice. Another upsetting fact was that his repertoire of spells was quite limited. _I've really got my work set out for me_.

Aiming at one of the desks he started shouting off the spells he knew.

"Stupefy", "Reducto", "Flipendo"…

He spent two hours firing off all the same combination of spells he knew until he felt completely drained off energy. He trudged back towards his common room, under the invisibility cloak. Collapsing onto his bed, he smiled before exhaustion overtook him.

* * *

The man clutched the letter in his hand. Quickly walking to his office, he sat down, tearing it open. The letter looked deceivingly normal. However, the man knew if someone else was to open it, they'd live the rest of their days without their hands.

The note was short, there was no signatory, but he knew his master was a careful man.

_The plan has been set in motion. Do not forget your part, failure is not an option._

He couldn't make any mistakes this time. He had failed him once; he would not do it again. He looked out the window of his office, looking at the snowy mountains in the distance; the sun just starting to fall. He peered down, looking at the large lake, a massive ship docked to the side.

_Hogwarts will soon be in my grasp, the child will not succeed._

* * *

** Well, there's Chapter 3 done. So I just want to address a few things. As you can see Harry is not super powerful or anything like that. I'm trying to make a realistic approximation of his skill level because before the tournament he was seriously lacking. He will get more powerful, but I'm not going to make him into some kind of God.**

**Also, I wonder if any of you can guess who the character at the end was. The description of the area gives a big clue.**

**Thanks, Please Review as well!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go, another Chapter! I think this is the best one yet. I hope you guys like it, especially the snape part (spoiler, not really).  
****Please enjoy, and most importantly review, they really help to fuel my creativity.**

* * *

Chapter 4

"So Daphne guess what? My mother sent me a letter yesterday, asking if I'm going to come back for the holidays or stay in school. Apparently, there's some event this year that…" Tracey faltered off, as she realised her best friend's attention was somewhere else.

"DAPHNE!"

Daphne turned her head so fast she heard it crack as she looked to her best friend.  
"Damn Tracy, why the hell are you shouting so loud?"

"Because you weren't listening to me. Again! What did I even say?" she replied exasperated.

Daphne looked guiltily at her friend, stammering as she answered-"You wanted to know what to get me for my birthday?"

"Nice try, but no. Also, your birthday isn't for another six months; really you should be wondering what to get me", she smirked. "So what were you so concentrated on, that you couldn't listen to me for."

"Nothing! My mind was just wandering", she replied looking down at her food as she spoke.

"Yeah well, we both know that's not true. You were looking at Potter when he came in. You've been doing it for the last three weeks. Is this because of the little crush-" her face smiling in excitement.

"NO!" she shouted causing many of her housemates to look at the two girls. Lowering her voice to a whisper she continued, "I definitely do not fancy Potter. It's something else."

"Well, what is it then?" Tracey asked curiously.

"Ok, a few weeks ago, do you remember when Malfoy pissed us off?" she inquired.

"Daphne, you're going to have to be a little more specific than that. Malfoy manages to piss me off on the daily", Tracey responded.

"Good point. It was when we were on the couches doing our work and he came and annoyed us, then I went to the library."

"Ohh yeah!", she replied in realisation. "But what has that got to do with Potter?"

"I'm getting to it", Daphne answered impatiently. "So I head to the library, and I see Potter, without Granger or Weasley with him."

"Well, that isn't surprising. Everyone's noticed that those three have some underlying tension going on. Look at their table now" she said, discreetly pointing to the Gryffindor table.

And sure, enough as Daphne watched, she saw Potter conversing with the Weasley twins and their friend Lee Jordon instead of his other friends.

"Oh, I do see it now. Anyway, while he was there, I saw him with a sixth-year defence textbook, which got me interested, so I followed", Daphne continued.

"Stalker" Tracey interrupted fake coughing at the same time, causing Daphne to punch her in the arm.

"Shut-up," Daphne said, a small smile on her face. "So, I start following him, and he goes to this really isolated corridor on the third floor, and the next thing I know, he's disappeared! And there was nowhere else he could go."

"That is interesting actually. Also, why is Potter using such advanced textbooks?" Tracey asked.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

* * *

"I can't believe McGonagall gave us another essay", Ron whined as the trio walked out from their latest transfiguration lesson. "Even Hagrid gave us homework yesterday. Since when have the teachers been so mental?"

"Maybe, if you stopped procrastinating and playing chess all the time, your workload wouldn't have been so bad. I take more subjects than you, and you don't see me complaining," she retorted, walking down the stairs towards the charm classroom.

"We can't all be like you, Hermione. I need to unwind after the day, and the teachers expect me to still be focused enough to do my homework. It's unfair," Ron moaning once again.

Harry remained quiet, throughout the encounter. He didn't want, Hermione to bring up the fact that he had finished all his homework on time. It would only cause Ron to go into another whining session and he really wasn't in the mood for it today. He had slept late because he had practiced a lot last night and with having another nightmare he couldn't make sense of, he had gotten virtually no sleep.

However, he was proud of his progress in all of his subjects. He had added numerous spells to his memory and was now attempting to perfect them. He had progressed weeks ahead of his classes for charms, defence and transfiguration. For his other subjects, he had also seen an improvement. The continuous reading of his textbooks meant he was confident in his runes and Herbology theory. But obviously Snape was the only outlier. The man still tried to pick on Harry at any possible moment. The only reason he was actually getting better was due to Daphne's help.

His mind focused on the blonde haired girl. She confused him immensely. Sometimes she was pleasant with him, occasionally making a joke during their time in potions. Other times she could be quiet and withdrawn. But, he had started to draw a pattern to her moods. It was usually when he swerved questions about his previous years. Harry felt like she knew a lot more about him than she was letting on, but wanted to hear the truth from his mouth.

He was knocked out of his reverie, by the sound of the bell, signalling for the start of class. Walking into the charms classroom, he walked to his seat, where his partner- Ernie Macmillan was waiting. Professor Flitwick had also made the students partner with different houses in the spirit of inter-house cooperation. He didn't mind the Hufflepuff, even though he could be pompous sometimes, reminding him of the boy version of a Hermione.

The short professor stood on his chair, getting the attention of the class. "Today, we will be practicing the 'accio' charm. A treat, since we've had so many theory lessons this week. Now can anyone tell me what the charm does?", the professor asked.

Harry smiled at the question. He had just practiced this spell a few days ago and knew it pretty well. Few hands rose at the question, obviously including Hermione's who had shot up before Flitwick even finished the question. _Maybe just this once, I'll try to show-off a bit._ Harry raised his hand as well.

"Mr Potter? Well, this is a surprise indeed. So can you tell me what the charm does", the professor inquired.

"The charm is used to summon objects sir", Harry responded.

"Good work Mr Potter! Now for five points could you tell me the limitations of the spell?", he probed wondering how much he knew.

"It can't work for exceptionally large objects, or be used to summon a living creature. However, the more powerful the person is, the larger object they could summon", Harry answered, not noticing Hermione's annoyed stare at his correct answers.

"Mr Potter you are right once again. Now since you're on such a roll, why don't you try to attempt the spell on those cushions? Do not worry if you can't do it. It takes quite a few tries to get it right. Remember the incantation is Accio", Flitwick questioned once again.

Looking at the cushions, Harry took his wand out from his robe and pointed it at them. Taking a deep breath, he muttered the incantation. The pillow shot straight at him, which he caught easily, his seeker reflexes coming into play.

The professor almost fell off his chair as he clapped in excitement. "Amazing Mr Potter! Absolutely wonderful. Take ten more points for Gryffindor. Now everyone else, you have the rest of the lesson to try."

Harry sat for a few minutes watching the rest of his classmates attempt the spell. The professor then proceeded to call him over for the rest of the class, entertaining Harry with his mother's charm work and father's pranks.  
Other than Harry, Hermione was the only one to succeed with the spell, five minutes before the end of class, awarding her five points. But this didn't make her happy at all. She may have done it faster, had she not kept focusing her attention on Harry's chat with the professor.

* * *

"Harry can I ask you a question?", Hermione asked, interrupting Harry from his homework in the common room. She had been surprisingly quiet during their work, waiting until Ron had gone up to the boy's dormitory before posing her question.

"Sure Hermione", he responded, putting his quill down.

"How were you so quick in doing the spell today? It was the first time we ever attempted it, and you were so good. On your first try as well!", she asked, in a slightly demanding tone.

"What do you mean Hermione?", he responded, knowing fully what this conversation was about.

"Come on Harry, you know exactly what I mean. You're not usually the first one to get a spell in class." Harry swore he could hear some condescension in her voice.

"I had just read ahead before class. Nothing unusual about that since you're always doing it", he replied, trying not to get annoyed.

"But that still doesn't explain how you were able to do it so fast. I'm just suprised you got it before anyone else because it usually takes you time-"

"Oh, because you're always first," Harry said angrily, cutting her off. This was the same attitude that had been annoying him for the past few weeks; that she wouldn't be able to deal with real competition.

"I didn't say that Harry. I'm just wondering because you've been acting so strangely. It's just a question," she retorted, flustered at Harry's angry response.

"I don't Hermione. Maybe beginner's luck. I've been known to get lucky from time to time," he said, shooting her a 'you-know-what-I-mean' look.

"Alright Harry, if that's what you say," she replied unconvincingly. "I'll go to bed now." She walked up the left staircase, disappearing behind the door.

Unable to concentrate on his work after she had angered him, he rolled up his parchment and stuffed it into his bag. Looking around the common room he noticed he was the only fourth-year left. He thought about going to training but decided he needed a break after three weeks of work. He was about to go up to his dormitory, when he noticed the Weasley twins in the corner, arguing about what was written on a parchment.

"No George that just won't work, Filch is bound to catch us then."

"And since when have we cared about dear ol' Filchy boy catching us Freddie?"

"Catch you guys doing what?" Harry said, smirking as the twins tried to hide what was on the paper.

The brothers looked at each other, and with some special mental twin code they must have, grabbed each of Harry's arms yanking him down to them.

"Listen, Harry, can you keep a secret?", Fred asked, or was it, George?

"Yeah sure. So what are you guys up to?" he whispered.

"A prank on our favourite caretaker", George replied. "We're planning on sneaking to the store room right next to his office, the one where he keeps all his favourite equipment in-"

"-Then, we're planning to charm it in a way that every time he tries to grab one, it flies away from him", Fred continued, perfectly continuing the conversation from his brother.

"That sounds brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, laughing at the thought of it.

"You think that's brilliant. Merlin, Fred what an easy audience we have. That isn't even close to our best pranks", George responded.

"Easy audience? You think I'm just some mediocre prankster?" he smirked challengingly.

"Ooo does lil Harrikins think he can best us in pranking. Since you're always on your little adventures, we just assumed you weren't any good at it", Fred replied, raising his eyebrows to the challenge.

"Yeah! do you have a better plan?", George asked.

"Wait here!", he said as he jogged to his dormitory. He came back a few minutes later to the twins, holding a thin file in his hands.

"Now, since you let me into one of your secrets. I think I can let you into one of mine," Harry whispered. "Remember a certain special map you gave me?"

"The Marauders' Map!", the twins said simultaneously.

"The original pranksters of Hogwarts", Fred added, giving a salute at the same time.

"Well, the map was actually made by my father and his friends. My dad was Prongs."

"Your father was the original maker of the map. How do you even know that?" George inquired.

"That's a long story, involving a mass murderer, traitor and werewolf. So, in other words, I'll save it for another time."

The expression was the funniest thing Harry had ever seen, constantly changing between awe, bewildered and terrified.

"Well, Harry m'boy. Tell us your idea."

Harry started to explain his plan. Pulling the file out which he had grabbed from the folder of his dad's school records. This was one of the only pranks in the folder that had been explained in incredible detail with the actual spells that were used. Harry watched as the twins' grins grew bigger the more he explained the prank.

"Well breakfast tomorrow will certainly be interesting", the twins said, as the three boys walked out common room to plan their joke on someone special.

* * *

The next morning, Harry and George waited in the Great Hall, watching as it started to fill up with students. Fred was waiting outside, making sure the preparations were intact and working.

Hermione and Ron came in a few minutes later, sitting by Harry. "Harry how come you came to breakfast so early?", her voice gave nothing away to the small fight the friends had the night before.

"Oh sorry, guys. I woke up early and was starving so I decided to come down earlier."

Hermione nodded and started eating her food. For a few moments, the hall was its usual atmosphere, the clinking of cutlery and laughter of students as they talked with their friends. That was until complete pandemonium broke out.

Ten suits of armour marched into the Great Hall in a militaristic fashion, with one of the knights walking forward to speak. Harry, and the twins made sure they had the same face as the other students, acting shocked at the 'surprising' turn of events. Fred snuck in during their entrance, subtly sitting next to his brother while the attention was focused on the suits of armour.

"Hello, students and teachers of Hogwarts. Usually, we save our songs and speeches for Christmas carolling. But this time we cannot wait because we have written a poem for a very special person –Professor Snape." At the mention of his name, numerous students started to laugh awaiting the poem to come. The suits of armour stood in a line, and together starting singing:

_We all know a professor, whose hair is very greasy,  
And sometimes it can smell downright cheesy.  
Now if he was so good at potions,  
You'd think he make a good enough hair lotion.  
Now before our poem comes to an end,  
There's one more thing we'd like to recommend.  
Give that man a shower,  
For the benefit of the entire Hogwarts tower._

The entire Great Hall burst into applause and laughter at the poem, even members of the Slytherin house were in fits of giggles. The suits of armour bowed to the applause, then once again walked out in a military fashioned march.

"POTTER! TEN WEEKS OF DETENTION FOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR, AND ONE HUNDRED POINTS AS WELL!", Snape screamed, walking down to the Gryffindor table, his face red with anger and embarrassment.

"But sir, I didn't do anything. Where's your proof?", Harry replied, not knowing how he was keeping a straight face as the entire population looked to face the confrontation.

"You think I don't know where you got the idea for the prank?", he seethed. "I could get you suspended for this."

"Now Professor Snape, I do not think you can give those detentions or take away those points", McGonagall interfered, walking down from the staff table. She was acting in a head capacity as Dumbledore had been away for the past few days, not being seen at any of the meal times.

"Minerva, we've both seen this prank before, only with the boy's father doing it then", Snape whispering this time, but still loud enough for Harry and a few neighbours to hear.

"And as I recall Severus, you didn't have proof then, and you don't have any now either", she replied, her voice firm and unwavering.

Snape looked like he was going to reply with several scathing remarks but remained quiet. Shooting a murderous glare he could at Harry, he walked out the Great Hall.

The Great Hall once again laughed at the scene with people patting Harry's back, asking how he did it. Which he replied with confusion at the mere thought of him doing such a prank. His eyes caught Daphne's, whose blue orbs were filled with tears of mirth. He gave her a subtle wink and went back to his food.

* * *

The next few weeks after the prank remained uneventful for the Hogwarts castle. It was the last two weeks of October and the trees surrounding the castle had become red and gold. Winter was fastly approaching as well, although the constant charms surrounding the castle allowed the students to remain warm. Students were also excitedly awaiting the arrival of the other magical schools. A notice had been posted at the start of the month informing their arrival, and allowing classes to be ended earlier to welcome them.

The first Hogsmeade trip had come and Harry was ecstatic. Not because he had a date; no his life in that area had definitely been lacking, but instead because he was meeting his godfather. Sirius had sent him a letter a few weeks ago, and the two had been corresponding frequently, with Sirius agreeing to meet him in the Shrieking Shack.

Harry thought about inviting his friends to meet Sirius, but he desperately wanted some personal time. Plus his relationship with his two friends had been deteriorating rapidly since the trio came to school. His sudden talent in all his subjects had infuriated Hermione, and even though she now kept quiet, he could see it in her face when he achieved the spell before her. Ron was a completely different matter. The youngest male Weasley's jealous had no bounds, only becoming worse with the prank. He got annoyed by the fact that Harry had pulled a prank with his brothers without telling him.

The constant tensions with Ron and Hermione meant that he increasingly spent more time with the twins and their friend Lee. Unlike Hermione, the twins couldn't care less about Harry's academic talent, only making prefect jokes every time Harry did homework. And they weren't jealous of him like Ron because of their own popularity. They had become a lot closer, Harry even revealing the origins of the map, and Sirius' story. They expressed great joy in wanting the meet the original prankster, making Harry promise to introduce them one day. The twins were also entranced by his invisibility cloak because of the applications it had with pranks. They had actually invited him to Hogsmeade, and no matter how tempted he was, he declined, saying he would spend the day with Hermione and Ron.

That's why Harry found himself walking down the high-street with his two oldest friends.

"We need to get to Zonko's first", Ron exclaimed. "I hear they have some new exploding snap cards with extra firepower."

"Really Ronald? What a waste of your money. There are so many more useful things to buy", she interjected.

"I don't need to waste my money on more useless books like you Hermione", the red head retorted.

Before Hermione could reply, and start a fight, Harry interjected by suggesting they go to the Three Broomsticks.

Harry opened the door of the inn, almost colliding with the two figures leaving, but swerving out of the way just in time.

"Ohh so close to happening a second time", Tracey laughed causing a glare from her blue eyed friend.

"Oh hey guys", Harry spoke up. Even his relationship with the two girls had been becoming better, even though they only talked in class. Well it was mostly Tracey, the outward and happy Slytherin. She was always glad to talk about anything in Runes, and they often had a fun time. Even his relationship with Daphne had started to thaw.

"Potter", Daphne responded.

"Harry!", Ron shouted shoving him back. "What are you doing so close to them. They're snakes, they'll take any chance to hex us," he said, sneering at the two girls.

"Weasley please", Daphne said chuckling. "If I wanted to hex you, your arse would already be ten inches into the ground", she spoke causing Tracey to laugh. Harry was inclined to agree with her, even if he didn't say it out loud.

The girls walked away, with Ron muttering obscene curses under his breath. The three got a booth in the corner, ordering three butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta.

"Harry, what are you thinking? Conversing with the Slytherins. They're evil. All death eaters in the making," Ron exclaimed.

"They're not like that Ron! Have you ever even talked to a Slytherin properly before, and I'm not talking about Malfoy or any of his friends", Harry responded, annoyed at his friends' remarks.

"I don't need to. All of them are just waiting in the background trying to stab us in the back. These girls will do the same to you. Can't you see that?"

Harry's mouth hung open, shocked at how ingrained Ron's hatred towards the Slytherins were. Not wanting to continue the fight he just conceded the argument. They sat there for another hour, with light talk and awkward conversation before Hermione expressed her concern in not getting enough time at Scrivenshaft's.

"Alright then, since she's gone now, would you like to come with me to Zonkos?", Ron inquired.

"Not right now Ron. I'll sit here for a bit more, maybe I'll join you later," Harry answered. The red head nodded and walked away. Waiting until his friend left the inn, Harry checked his watch and deciding it was time, put on his invisibility cloak and made his journey to the shrieking shack.

He walked into the dilapidated building, nothing changed from the last time. There was still dried blood on the floor from Sirius biting Ron's leg. Most of the furniture was broken, or hanging onto its last splinters. Claw marks were evident all around the room due to years of Remus' transformations. Sitting in the middle was a shaggy dog, his tail wagging madly as Harry walked in. Once Harry shut the door, and pulled off the cloak, Padfoot had pounced on him pushing him to the ground putting Harry in peals of laughter.

"Hahaha… I missed… you…too…Padfoot!", Harry exclaimed; the words struggling to come out as he laughed.

Padfoot finally let him go after a few minutes, backing off and transforming into his human form.

"Hmmm, I think I preferred you as the dog", Harry said, stroking his chin. Sirius barked with laughter, pulling his godson into a long hug. Harry pulled out, miniature foods from his bag, and expanding them to their regular size. Sirius' eyes sparkled in excitement as he grabbed the first good meal he had in weeks. They remained quiet for a few moments as Sirius finished demolishing his food.

"How've you been pup?", Sirius asked; conjuring two chairs for them to sit on.

"I've been good Sirius. This year has definitely had a change of pace. By now I usually already have a life threatening situation. Maybe my luck's about to turn." He had no idea how wrong that was.

"I'm sure it will Pup. Now, where are your two friends? You guys seemed to always be stuck by the hip," Sirius pondered.

Harry remained quiet for a few seconds before expanding on the bad parts of the year. He told his godfather everything, from the Quidditch world cup to the present. Telling him about his training which had been causing problems with Hermione, and Ron's jealousy. Sirius remained quiet for most of it, interjecting at some points and almost falling of his chair in laughter when Harry explained his prank in detail.

Two hours had passed when Harry finally finished his rant. "…And I don't know Sirius. We've never had so many problems, and it's getting to the point where I just prefer to be without them because we end up fighting. What should I do?", he pleaded, looking to his godfather for advice.

"Harry", he said softly putting his arms on his godson's shoulder. "I know it's hard, but it sounds like they're holding you back. That's not what friends do. They should be supporting you every step of the way. Friends come and go, remember that. You know firsthand from me who badly some friends can mess up your life. Now from what I've heard, you're not alone. What about those Weasley twins? They sound great, and you even told them about me! I'm not saying to get rid of Ron and Hermione; definitely not. But just watch out. You're very able, and only you can judge your current situation."

Harry remained quiet once again, before tightly hugging his Godfather. "Thank-you Sirius", he whispered into his ear.

"No problem pup", he said pulling back.

"Merlin, look at the time", Harry exclaimed. "The carriages will have almost left!", Harry said getting up quickly. "But I don't even know when I'll see you next", Harry softly whispered.

"Oh don't worry about that Harry. Dumbledore's given me a few jobs, so I'll be around the area for a while", Sirius responded.

"Really?" Harry asked quizzically. "Why?"

"It's all about that dream you had at the beginning of the year. Let's just say we're going on the offensive earlier this time", he replied cryptically. "But, you'll find out all about that soon. Now go", he said, pulling Harry into one last hug.

Harry put on his invisibility cloak, quickly walking to the station where the carriages awaited. He felt like a great weight had been removed after his talk with Sirius. _Maybe it will be alright._

* * *

"Tracey, tonight's the night", Daphne said to her friend as she put on her shoes. They were the only ones in the girls' dormitory as she spoke.

"You mean tonight's the night you go alone to satisfy your obsession of finding out what Potter's doing because you're totally in love with him", Tracey replied cheekily, earning her a glare from Daphne.

"It's not an obsession. I just want to know why he's using such high level textbooks, and if Dumbledore is in on it", she defended.

"Hmm, yeah ok", her auburn friend replied sceptically. "Well, I'm going to stay here and work on my homework, instead of stalking Potter. You're like his fan club."

"I am nothing like those bimbos! My interest is completely different," she scowled. "I'll see you later", she said walking out the dorm.

"Potter better watch out", Tracey chucked to herself.

* * *

Daphne left her common room, hoping no one saw her leave with curfew so close. Even something so trivial like leaving late could churn the Hogwarts rumour mill, and she definitely didn't need the attention. Walking quickly she started to climb the staircase until she reached the third floor. Walking to the isolated corridor, she once again paced it looking to where Potter may have gone the first time. Knowing that her searching was proving fruitless, she ducked into an isolated broom closet, leaving a gap to peer through.

She must have been waiting twenty minutes before he finally came. She stayed in crouching position, not daring to stand up in case her legs made a cracking noise. Peering through the gap she watched as he quickly looked around the corridor, then made his way into the tapestry.  
_WAIT!... WHAT!_

_How the hell did he just walk through a tapestry_. Waiting for a few more minutes to make sure he didn't come out once again, she left the closet. Walking up to the tapestry, she looked it at closely, examining it as carefully as possible. She put her hand on it, only for it to go through. _ It's fake! The damn tapestry is a passageway._

She put her entire body into it, realising she had to crouch once again to fit in the cramped space. She starting moving forward, the passageway gradually getting bigger, until she reached an ending. Knowing what to do now, she put her body through it, appearing in another corridor, through another tapestry. _Definitely, need to tell Tracy about this._

She looked around the new corridor trying to figure out where she was. She didn't think anyone knew about this corridor, it was right on the right hand side of the third floor where nobody ever wandered because of Dumbledore's warning in her first year about dying a very painful death.

There were only two classrooms over here. She peered into the first one, only to move away, realising it was empty. Walking to the next one, she bent down so only her eyes could see through the door's window. She saw him. He was there firing off one spell after another; spells of all colours blasting into the chairs and desks. She realised he must have put a muffling charm because she couldn't hear a single sound. She watched entranced for minutes as he kept shouting spells, most of them she didn't even know off. She watched as he finally stopped. He looked around at his handiwork, a soft smile on his face when it happened. They made eye contact for a second at most, before she started sprinting away.

She rounded the corridor, her heart beating in her chest, and footsteps rapidly approaching behind her.

"_Impedimenta", _was all she heard before she became frozen. _Damn it, what the fuck am I going to say now?_

"Greengrass?" he asked bewildered, shock and confusion evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?", he demanded. Realising his spell was still in place, he undid it, staring at her powerfully. She wouldn't tell this to anyone, but at this moment, she felt scared at that look.

"I…", her heart still pounding and her voice not working as she tried to come up with a genuine reason for being here.

"I'm screwed aren't I", she said truthfully. "I have no reason for being here, I just came to see what you were up to", her voice spoke softly. Had she not been looking down embarrassed, she would have seen a range of expressions on Harry's face as she told him.

"How did you even know where I was? And Greengrass, I want the truth," his voice still demanding, but not with the same anger as before.

She proceeded to tell him the story about being in the library, noticing the book in his hand and being interested in what he was doing. He listened to the story quietly, and to her surprise actually started laughing at the end.

"You're a very strange person Potter. I though you would've hexed me until I was a blob after catching me", she said, her breathing becoming normal again.

"Yeah, strange is a word I've been called on multiple occasions. I'm surprised as well. I thought you would have caught me out in potions or something the next day", he replied.

"No, because if I had, you would have been more aware of your surroundings, and I'd have never found out where you're going. But speaking of that, you really need to look out more", she answered.

"This isn't the time for criticising me Greengrass", he spoke in a firm voice, but there was mirth in his eyes. "Well, I guess you saw then. What did you think of it?"

"It was pretty amazing if I'm being completely honest. I didn't even know most of those spells, and the damage in the room speaks for itself. You've definitely been coming here a lot", said Daphne.

"Yeah I guess I have", he answered truthfully.

"That spell you just did now on me. That's a fifth year spell! You're way further than us now. You were already top in defence, why do you want to even do so much more?" she inquired.

"It's not about being at the top of the class. I couldn't care less about that. I have to train ok? It's just something I've got to do!" he exclaimed.

"Why Potter? What is this really for then?", she demanded.

"I'm not going to tell you. It's my problem to have, and I'll deal with it myself."

She didn't give him a reply, not wanting to push it since she was already in the wrong. They remained quiet for a few moments before Harry spoke again.

"Listen Greengrass. Can you please keep this between us? I really don't want anyone to find out about it" he asked, a note of pleading in his voice.

She remained silent for a few seconds, until her eyes sparked with an idea. "I'll give you a deal Potter. You let me train with you, and I won't tell anyone about what you did here. Except for Tracey, but she wouldn't tell a soul", she asked.

"You want to train with me? Why?", he asked confusedly.

"Because you're miles ahead, and you've taught yourself, so you could teach me. That in exchange for my silence, Tracey put aside", she said.

"You're really cunning aren't you?", Harry replied, his resolution crumbling.

"The trademark of a Slytherin", she said proudly. "So do we have a deal?"

"Fine. But not every day. Sometimes I need to train alone. How about twice a week?"

She thought about it for a few seconds, before sticking her hand out.

"Deal!"

"Ok, then Greengrass. It's late. We better head back to our common rooms. I'll keep in touch", he said walking away.

"Oh, and Potter!" she said, causing him to turn around. "Great prank" she smiled, as she walked away, feeling happier than she had been in a long time.

* * *

** Ok, there we go another chapter done. This chapter was again more of a filler than the real action stuff, but I'm trying to build a foundation for the characters. **

**You've probably guessed who the different friends are now that I mentioned that numerous times. I just felt that in these types of stories, Harry ends up being friends with people and Neville and Luna. Now that's nice and all but I wanted to change it up because the twins have so much character and are so fun to write with.**

**Now I need your help. The help of the fans (hopefully I have some). Like I said I wanted to change the Triwizard tasks around to give this fanfiction some flair from the others. Now, I'm planning to keep the first task the same. But I want something exponentially different for the second and third. I have a few ideas, but if you guys could please review, and share some of your own ideas, it'll be so much nicer.**

**So overall, if you ignored everything I said, and just skipped to the last sentence, the gist is- REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

Another one out. Remember to review!

* * *

Chapter 5

"Expelliarmus!" Daphne shouted, the red beam shooting straight to Harry, who dodged it easily.

Grinding her teeth at the fact that he hadn't shot a single spell at her, she started throwing all the curses and jinxes she knew. He again swerved out the way for most of them, some he formed a shield, but mostly moving. She finally let up after a few minutes, her magical core exhausted; collapsing on the closest chair to her.

"Well that was pretty good", Harry exclaimed, taking a seat next to her.

"Good?" she scathed. "I didn't even come close to hitting you once. You dodged like it was child's play", she said, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, but this was our first lesson. I just wanted to duel you first to see how far along you were with your spell knowledge, and you're good! You knew more jinxes and curses than me when I first started training. Give it a few weeks and you'll be fine", he said confidently.

"Yeah", she chuckled. "You don't stay in the same common room as Malfoy without learning a few curses for the little ferret", her joke making Harry laugh.

"Well, I think you're done for the day", he said, examining her as she still took deep breaths.

"What! No! It's only been an hour. How long are you usually here for?" she said, standing up.

"Usually around two hours. But this is your first time, and I don't want you to get hurt by training for so long." The genuine care in his voice, made her stomach tingle, but she ignored it.

"Look I'm fine. How about we don't duel and you can just teach me a spell?" she pleaded, pretending to pout.

He chuckled at the face. "Ok, I'll try and teach you something simple but could be used effectively in a duel. It's basically called the 'seize and pull charm'. The incantation is _Carpe Retractum."_ He showed her the spell, which produced a rope of light from his wand, using it to grab a table and toss it onto the other side.

"It's great for distractions, because they'll spend their attention trying to destroy the object, and while they're distracted you can fire another spell", he explained.

She nodded quietly and started practicing the spell. Harry sat in the corner, pulling out a Transfiguration book and studying it, occasionally helping her form and wand movement.

"I did it!" she exclaimed half an hour later; the light of rope, holding onto the chair which she threw to the other side.

"Well done!" Harry said, laughing at the unusual excitement portrayed on her face. "But now you really are done. You're going to be aching like crazy tomorrow if you don't stop now", he warned her.

"Alright then", she spoke, stowing her wand into her robes. She walked to the door, but before stepping outside, she turned to him once more. "I'm curious Potter. What's the most complex spell you know?" she inquired.

He thought about it for a few seconds before the answer came easily to him. "Has to be the Patronus. I haven't experienced anything as difficult as casting and sustaining that spell before."

"A Patronus?" she replied shocked. "Like a corporeal one?"

"Corporeal?" he asked bewildered.

"It means that your Patronus has a form, as in the shape of an animal", she answered.

"Oh yeah, it's a stag!" he replied.

"I'm sorry Potter, but I'm not going to believe it until you prove it", she replied unabashedly.

He started at her for a few moments, before taking out his wand. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, the most powerful memory he had coming to his head. He didn't even think it was a memory, it was the feeling; the feeling of his parents being there. "Expecto Patronum" he whispered; a mass of white energy bursting from his wand in the shape of a massive stag.

"It's… It's just breathtaking", she responded, her eyes wide, and mouth hanging open. She put her hand through the animal, only for it to go through, but it felt warm and radiant. It was emanating power before it finally dissolved. She looked to Harry who was panting, the duration of the spell taking its toll.

"How do you know it?" She inquired.

"Professor Lupin actually taught it to me. I don't know if you remember, but the Dementors seemed to have a big effect on me, and Lupin helped me", he answered.

"Yeah, I do remember. That Quidditch match where they came swooping down on you. I remember Tracey telling me something came out that helped dispel them, but I didn't believe her at the time. It truly is amazing Harry" she repeated, still looking to the empty space where the stag had been.

"Harry?" he replied confusedly.

"Why are you saying your own name?" she laughed.

"Because you called me Harry, and it just surprised me," he replied, laughing too.

"Oh, I guess I did. I tend to call my friends by their first name; it's a bad habit", she answered. Looking at her watch she spoke once again- "but you're right. It is late now and I do need to leave", she said, waving goodbye.

"Goodnight… Daphne", he spoke, to which she turned, giving him a small smile and walking out.

* * *

The next day, Harry and his friends walked from breakfast to the dungeons, a day Ron and Harry dreaded as it meant having Snape first. They arrived early, waiting outside the door until Snape came, other Gryffindors and Slytherins also piling into the corridor. The scene was quiet, people peacefully talking with each other. Of course, that meant someone had to ruin it.

"So Weasley", Malfoy said loudly enough to draw the attention of all the students. Harry spotted Daphne rolling her eyes at the Slytherin boy, while Tracey was making rude gestures being his back.

"My father tells me they're making cutbacks in the ministry. Apparently, they're getting rid of everything non-essential. Hopefully, that means your joke of a father will get the sack", he finished cause snickers from some of the Slytherins, with Crabbe and Goyle just making non-human grunts.

Ron turned red with embarrassment, the colour matching his hair. Before he could speak, Malfoy continued- "Although they probably could keep him. I bet his salary doesn't make a single dent to the ministry's finances" he sneered.

"Shut-up Malfoy", Harry said speaking up, stepping in front of the Slytherin.

"Oh, Potter! I was wondering when you'd interfere. Don't worry about Weasley's father, I'm sure with my father's power he could keep him on if he wanted to", he smiled cockily.

"I don't give a damn how much so called power your father has. You on the other hand have nothing, just hiding behind daddy's big bag of gold", Harry smirked at the anger flush in Malfoy's face.

"You'd better watch what you say Potter!" he whispered menacingly.

Without warning, Malfoy shouted firing a sickly green coloured curse. Without even thinking, Harry pulled his wand out, and slashed down producing a shield, not noticing that he had done it wordlessly.

"Ahh, Potter what do we have here", Snape said, entering the corridor, somehow seeming to blend right out of the shadows. "Duelling in the halls. Let's see. That'll be 30 points from Gryffindor for once again not following school rules" Snape sneered, gesturing for the rest of the students to go into the classroom.

Harry didn't argue with him walking quietly to his desk, Daphne already there. Snape had been even worse to Harry, if that was even possible after the prank. _At least I didn't get a detention from the bastard._

"Potter what the hell!" Daphne whispered, her tone showing she was annoyed.

"What? I didn't start anything, and he tried to hex me!" Harry argued.

"I'm not talking about that. You've been holding out on me!" she retorted.

"What do you mean?" he asked, this time confused.

"You blocked his hex. Wordlessly! That's NEWT level. You told me you were just starting the fifth year stuff for DADA!" she replied back haughtily.

Harry was about to retort back when he realised he had done it like that, but it wasn't on purpose.

"It wasn't anything like that Daphne" he lowered his voice as he said her name. "It was just in the moment, my body just dove into reflex mode, like some kind of fight or flight response. I swear I haven't been hiding it from you" he replied sincerely.

"Oh" was her only reply. Fidgeting with her cauldron, she apologised- "Sorry Potter, I should have asked you first instead of demanding."

"It's not a problem", he replied, waving her apology away. "But it's Potter now I see. What happened to Harry?" he smirked.

"I change it accordingly. Right now I'm in a Potter mood", she replied.

"You're weird", he softly laughed. "How're you feeling after yesterday?" he inquired.

"Damn you were right. I was so sore in the morning. Tracey basically had to dress me because I couldn't bend", she groaned causing Harry to laugh once more.

"I told you, but you were stubborn" he answered, looking to the instructions on the blackboard.

"But even with the pain and fatigue of my muscles I did think of an idea that could help you with your training", she remarked, purposely acting dramatic.

"What?" Harry asked, interested.

"Well back home, we have a basement where we have a space for duelling because my father likes to practice. And he has these training dummies which basically can shoot spells at you with varying speeds and difficulty. It's a really useful piece of equipment to have if you're training", she answered.

"That does sound helpful. But firstly I don't think there's stuff like that here in Hogwarts. Also, there isn't a room big enough" he sadly remarked.

"Yeah, you're right. If only there was. Well, we better continue with the potion, this one's a bit tricky…"

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was tired. It was the first time in many years he had felt this sort of fatigue. Not that running a wizarding school wasn't tiring, but that added with his extracurricular activities had exhausted the man. It had all started with Harry's dream, many who may think it inconsequential. However, he had been here long enough to know that it has serious meaning. Voldemort was coming. He didn't know when, or he didn't know how, but the greatest dark force of his life time was coming back.

The other teachers had started noting his absence, but he in no way was going to tell them the threat upon them. He couldn't worry his staff like that, fearing some may leave their job. He had started amassing his own gathering, spreading a slight word to his closest advisors. The only member who could and would thwart his plans was Cornelius Fudge. The Minister of Magic was not known for his pragmatism in times of trouble, and he was already cutting expenditure, mainly out of the auror forces.

But gathering forces wasn't the most pressing issue on his mind. He had already ordered Sirius to do that, keeping him in the country. Sirius was to meet the original Order of the Phoenix. Alone at first, also having to convince them of his innocence. He still chuckled at the ex-prisoners' encounter with Auror Shacklebolt. Sirius had basically kidnapped the man, given himself veritaserum and gave the auror the entire story. But Dumbledore's problem was trying to find out information on the man who used to be Tom Riddle, and at the moment he had nothing. His clues left him at dead ends, but he was nothing if persistent, and he had a job to do. _For the Greater Good._

He put down the school report he was 'reading'. Leaving it as a bad job, he got up from his seat, about to leave to bed when there was a knock at his door. Sighing, he said- "Enter", revealing Severus Snape, who looked agitated. "Ahh Severus, what can I do for you?" he asked the potions professor.

"Quit the formalities Albus. You've been training the Potter boy, and I want to know why" he spoke, taking a seat opposite to Dumbledore's desk.

"Severus I'm afraid you're mistaken. I have not corresponded with young Harry since he's come to school. But please, explain what has come about you?"

"The boy got into a conflict with Draco today. Draco fired a spell, and Potter shielded it."

"So Harry did a fifth year charm. That's not really a reason for accusing me of teaching him anything", Dumbledore replied.

"He did it without saying a word. That's far advanced for a fourth year, especially someone as mediocre as Potter. It could only mean you're teaching him for some reason" he retorted.

Dumbledore chuckled, setting his glasses down on to the table. "Severus I have not taught the boy a single spell. However, I did advise him before school, that it would be better if he took his training into his own hands. From what you've told me I can deduce that he has", Dumbledore said, a hint of pride in his voice.

"I don't believe it. Potter couldn't have trained himself that fast or even taught himself alone" he argued.

"Severus once again you are putting your prejudices' in front of reality when it comes to Harry. Do you forget who his parents were? You know firsthand the talent of Lily, especially in charms. And no matter how much it loathes you to admit, his father was an incredibly powerful wizard in his own right. I believe Harry has gotten the best of both worlds, and with the more effort he's put into this year you can see the outcome" Dumbledore concluded.

"Fine, the boy has taught himself one subject" he conceded.

"From what I hear, Harry is progressing excellently in most of his subjects. Minerva just told me a few weeks ago she's starting to see his father's talents. Just yesterday, Alastor mentioned that Harry was the only fourth year able to ward off his imperius when teaching about the unforgivables. Severus, if you could just see past the James Potter in Harry's external looks, you'd learn he is more like his mother in most ways", Dumbledore finished his blue eyes piercing Snape's gaze.

Snape shifted uncomfortably at the headmasters gaze. After a few seconds he spoke again- "Yet does that not explain why you have asked him to train himself", he inquired.

Dumbledore proceeded to tell him about his preparations the past few weeks, realising his plans to sleep were now mute.

"So you're basing all of this on some dream Potter had", he said sceptically.

"You yourself told me that your mark had started to irritate you. That with the subtle events going on right now, I can guess that he is somehow making a way back. And now while we're on this topic, I have to ask you to put one more prejudice aside this evening" Dumbledore continued.

Rolling his eyes at the remark, Severus answered, "and what would that be?"

"You must work with Sirius Black."

"Black!" Snape scoffed, standing up enraged. "I won't do it; you cannot expect me to work-"

"Enough. I can and I will." Dumbledore interrupted firmly. "You are not children anymore. Get over your issues. I will repeat the same to him. This is about getting a start on Voldemort, and you can't let some childish feud get in the way of it. He has already talked to some old members, even recruited two aurors, his cousin Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt to our cause. With your help, he can do it faster. I need you Severus" Dumbledore pleaded.

Knowing it would be pointless to argue, because the headmaster would win, he conceded. Bidding Dumbledore a farewell, he walked out of the room.

Finally, Dumbledore got up to prepare for bed. No matter how anxious he was about his preparations, the fact that Harry was training, brought a smile to the old man's face. _Maybe I will test him soon._

* * *

At the same time as the headmaster's heated discussion with Snape, Harry and the twins were also in a tense situation. It was their eight round of explosive snap and the stakes were heating up. Harry had already lost and been forced to give away two of his rarest chocolate card wizard collections.

Fred slowly pulled out a card from the deck, saying a silent prayer; he looked at it, only for to omit a blast which singed his left eyebrow off. "NOO!" Fred shouted as Harry and George simultaneously shouted yes.

"Enough of this game", Fred said tossing the deck over to the side. "I'm hungry", he said, standing up. "I think I'll get some food."

"Good idea", George said. "I'll come with you"

"How are you guys going to get food at this time of the night", Harry inquired confusingly.

"Harry, for someone with the map of Hogwarts, I'm surprised you haven't seen its greatest room yet", Fred replied, acting mockingly shocked.

"Well, then Fred. Let's show ickle Harrykins the way to the kitchens", George answered, ruffling up Harry's hair in a childish manner, causing Harry to glare at him.

The three walked out the common room, Harry using the map to avoid detection from teacher and prefect patrols. Reaching the Great Hall, they took the staircase down, until they reached a broad stone basement corridor. The twins guided Harry over to a painting of a basket of fruit.

"Watch this!" Fred whispered. Reaching up, he tickled the pear in the basket. The pear giggled giving way to a door handle, which Fred pulled open.

Harry gasped out loud as he walked into the Hogwarts kitchens. The room was as massive as the Great Hall which was directly above. It also adorned five tables, four for the students and the staff table, which he guessed used some sort of magic to transfer the food to the tables in the hall. He finally understood how Dumbledore clicked his fingers and the food appeared out of nowhere.

The second they walked in they were surrounded by numerous elves, asking what they wanted to eat, pure happiness in their eyes as the twins kindly asked for food. Harry noticed they each wore clean white covers, with their names embroidered in gold stitching.

"MASTER HARRY POTTER HAS COME TO SEE DOBBY", Harry turned to look at the direction of the noise, but as he turned a blur of an object smashed into his body, grabbing him and hugging him tightly.

After the initial shock of Dobby's jump, Harry hugged the elf back, causing him to burst out in tears. "Master Harry Potter is too good too Dobby. No human has ever shown such kindness like Master Harry Potter", he wept causing the other elves to turn and look on in shock.

Fred and George were in splits of laughter as they saw the excited elf. Introducing the elf to the twins, he asked Dobby to join them while he ate, which led to another round of crying by the elf. To stop his tears Harry asked how he ended up here, with the elf explaining how Dumbledore gave him a paid job.

Harry was in the middle of a turkey sandwich, when a strict elf approached Dobby. The elf's name on the cloth read Trixie and while she had the same cloth as the other elves, in the middle it read "Head Elf".

"Dobby. That's enough free time!" Trixie reprimanded the excited little elf. "I need you to go to the Come and Go Room. We need more cleaning supplies", she demanded.

Dobby nodded his head rapidly, and answered. "Yes, Ms Trixie. Dobby will be doing that now"

Trixie nodded sternly back and went to talk to another elf.

"Sorry Master Harry Potter", Dobby remarked, his eyes downtrodden. "Dobby needs to do his work now. Would Master Harry Potter think about visiting Dobby again?"

"That's no problem Dobby! Of course, I'll come and visit you again" he said. The elf ran and hugged Harry again, profusely thanking him.

"But Dobby one question. What's the Come and Go room?" Harry inquired. The twins also stopped eating, looking interestingly to the elf.

Dobby looked excited that Harry had asked another question. "The Come and Go Room is a very special room Master Harry!" the elf exclaimed. "It gives the seeker whatever he desires from the room," he said excitedly.

"What do you mean Dobby?" Fred inquired as he ate the last morsel of food on his plate.

"Dobby is not sure how to explain it properly. Would Master Harry Potter and the Weasel twins like to come with Dobby?" the little elf admitted.

Trying to contain his laughter at the twins reaction to Weasel, Harry responded, "Sure Dobby, sounds interesting".

Dobby nodded excitedly guiding the trio out of the kitchen and through the halls. As they walked up the stairs the twins explained their plan for the tournament.

"…So we realised if there's an age restriction, they must have some way of making sure those younger won't enter. But what if we make ourselves older?" Fred theorised.

"So you're talking about some kind of ageing potion" Harry replied, recently reading about it in his potions book.

"Something along those lines. We haven't worked out the specifics, but would you be willing to join?" George asked.

Harry laughed at his question. "Guys I've been enough life threatening situations. I definitely don't need to be in more, especially when it's going to be showcased to the entire school", he chuckled.

The twins laughed at his statement, before Dobby stopped. Harry looked around. There was nothing special about this corridor on the seventh floor. Dobby stopped pointing to an empty stretch of wall. "This is it Master Harry Potter", the elf said, jumping in excitement.

"I don't want to say your elf is crazy", Fred whispered to Harry. "But this is a blank wall".

Harry also looked unimpressed, but the elf was still beaming. "Um Dobby, where is this room?"

"Tis a magical door Master Harry. Just walk past the wall three times thinking and repeating exactly what you need and you will get it!" the elf replied.

"Well go on Harry, give it a shot," George said sarcastically.

"Fine. Let me give it a try." Walking past the door Harry thought of one thing. _I need a demonstration of the room, I need a demonstration of the room, I need a demonstration of the room._

And there it was. A door appeared, as if it had been there the entire time. George almost fell in shock at seeing it. The three rushed in and opened it to see a gigantic empty room with a single table on it, and a note.

_Ask and you shall receive_

"Ask and you shall receive?" Fred asked quizzically. "Ok, I want a fanged frisbee". Immediately a frisbee sprung to the side, appearing magically.

The boys looked in shock at the appeared frisbee and looked at each other in shock. As if they could read each other's mind, each boy smiled. The next ten minutes was filled with them running around thinking of every possible object. Currently, the twins were sitting in a corner, going through a box of magical toys.

Harry was still looking around the area. Trying to understand the room as much as possible. Dobby had disapparated soon after their entry, having to get back to his work. Thinking back to his talk with Daphne, he thought of a training dummy. Instantaneously a magical metal dummy appeared, holding a wand. _I also want some books on defence_, and again a bookshelf appeared, as if being transported right from the library. _I've found my new training room._

_I've got to surprise Daphne with this next session._

* * *

"Ok well, stop translating your runes now" Professor Babbling told her class. "The other schools will be arriving soon, and we have to be at the courtyard."

Harry waved a goodbye to Tracey and started walking back with Hermione to their common room. He was walking at a quick pace because Hermione was in a bad mood and he didn't want to get the brunt of her temper. Daphne and her partner had finished translating the runes first, followed by him and Tracey. The fact that she didn't finish first was bad enough, but being third had pissed her off completely. He was surprised she hadn't shouted at Susan to be faster at her translations.

He still hadn't had the opportunity to tell Daphne about the room. Even though they had potions the day after his discovery he really wanted to show it to her, because he couldn't do justice to the room by just explaining it. Nevertheless, he had tried it out himself and it exceeded all his expectations. Daphne's recommendations of using the dummy had helped him out immensely. He finally had a proper duelling partner, and he could adjust the difficulty. He had even tried putting it on its hardest setting only for the dummies to disarm him in seconds. There were also potions for any injury he could sustain. If the room could produce food, he would live there.

* * *

The Goblet of Fire was blazing in the centre of the Great Hall. The tables had been pushed to the side, and most of the student population watched as the brave eligible students put their names in, everyone getting a huge round of applause for their participation. It was the day after the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students had come, and Hogwarts was already in its prime gossip mode. Fred and George had already attempted and failed to get pass Dumbledore's restrictions. These were the last hours to enter in the tournament because by night the champions were being selected. No student had any inclination to leave until then.

Harry wasn't that excited as everyone else about the events taking place. He didn't care that a World Cup seeker was here or a girl who was claimed to be a veela. It was Halloween, and it was the time of the year he realised he missed his parents the most.

It hurt. It hurt him every time someone talked about their parents. It hurt when he would look up in the morning to see hundreds of owls delivering letters from parents who cared about them. It hurt when he'd hear people who talked about arguing with their parents because of some silly fight, not knowing how much they had. He never usually talked like this. But this time of year it especially depressed him. He had Sirius and Remus, but even then it came with conditions. Fate made it that the only two good people connected to his parents were wanted for murder and a werewolf. Sighing, he walked out the Great Hall for a walk before the selection.

A pair of eyes followed him as he left. _Soon you will be in the hands of my master, Potter and I will be rewarded beyond my greatest dreams._

* * *

The Halloween feast had ended, and once again the tables were pushed back, and the Goblet brought forward. The students were still in fits of whispers, only quieting down as Dumbledore stepped up to the podium.

"I know you are impatient for the selection. As am I, so without further ado, let us see our champions for the Triwizard tournament!" the headmaster exclaimed, followed by a burst of celebration from the student body.

Harry watched intently as Dumbledore walked to the Goblet. The headmaster seemed to whisper a few words, before waving his wand in a complicated pattern. The fire increased in size exponentially. The red and orange flames, turning into dark blue and purple swirls. A piece of parchment flew out, Dumbledore catching it.

"The Champion for Beauxbatons is Miss Fleur Delacour!" emitting a standing ovation, primarily of boys with glazed looks in their eyes. Ron even wolf whistled, before Hermione shoved him down. Harry kept sat amused at the reactions. The girl in question walked from the Ravenclaw table, shaking Dumbledore's hands and going to a door behind the staff table.

A few more seconds passed before another parchment fell out. "The Champion for Durmstrang is Victor Krum". If Harry thought the celebration for Fleur was loud, it was nothing compared to this. Girls screaming, boys chanting 'Krum' for the Bulgarian seeker. Before continuing Dumbledore quieted the audience with one stern glare.

"Now for our Hogwarts Champion, we have… Cedric Diggory." No surprise there Harry thought to himself. He was Head Boy, incredibly popular and from what he heard a powerful wizard. Harry knew there weren't many big contenders from Hogwarts to take on the role, but Cedric suited it. Clapping along with everyone else, he turned to the door giving it a longing look. Just wanting to get the day over so he could go to bed, and start November off right. Of course, that didn't happen.

He hadn't noticed he had been staring at the door for a whole minute. Turning his attention back to Dumbledore who was probably giving some speech on bravery, he saw everyone staring at him. Staring wasn't the right word. They looked downright menacing from every student except the Gryffindor table. Fred and George were positively beaming, pushing a confused Harry up from his seat. _No. It's not. It can't be._

The walk to Dumbledore took forever; he felt every stare at him. Looking to the Slytherin table he spotted Daphne. Her usual impenetrable mask of a face shattered, as she looked on with her mouth open. He reached Dumbledore, scared to look into his eyes. Taking a peek at the blue orbs of the headmaster, he thought he'd see disappointment or anger. No, what he saw scared him more. _Fear._

He took the paper from the headmasters' hand. Two words written on it, but not in ink. He'd seen this writing before. It was blood.

_Harry Potter_

* * *

Ok finally another one finished. Damn I know it's still in character development mode, but it't going to start increasing pace now, with more action and the good stuff. Also, I listened to my reviewers (even though there were only a few, pls review) and didn't Ron bash this chapter, mainly because there'll be a quite a bit in the next one. Well that's all

Again if you didn't listen to the crap up there.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW (sorry)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_The walk to Dumbledore took forever; he felt every stare at him. Looking to the Slytherin table he spotted Daphne. Her usual impenetrable mask of a face shattered, as she looked on with her mouth open. He reached Dumbledore, scared to look into his eyes. Taking a peek at the blue orbs of the headmaster, he thought he'd see disappointment or anger. No, what he saw scared him more. Fear._

_He took the paper from the headmasters' hand. Two words written on it, but not in ink. He'd seen this writing before. It was blood._

_Harry Potter_

* * *

The words still echoed in his head as he walked into the room. The parchment was crumpled up in his hand, making sure no one else could see the blood on it. He saw the three other champions there. Victor Krum looking down at his feet, looking almost bored. He was used to being lauded as a champion so this was nothing new for the Bulgarian Seeker. The haughty French witch was twirling a strand of hair with her hand, while the Hogwarts champion was pacing back and forth, his face a mixture of grinning and apprehension. None of them were talking to each other, all in their own bubble of thought.

He approached the other three. He was pretty sure one of them asked him a question, but he was in his own mind. Every second of the last twenty-four hours was replaying in his head, wondering where it went wrong. His reverie was only broken by the sound of the door slamming open, followed by the headmasters of each school, and some of the other Hogwarts faculty, Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman, the ex-Quidditch beater who the school had been introduced to yesterday.

"He cannot be. It eez impossible!" Madame Maxine shouted as she approached the champion. If the situation wasn't so dire, Harry would have laughed at the way the tall woman walked.

"Yes, Dumbledore. This whole situation sounds suspicious. The boy has obviously made a mockery of the entire event!" Karkaroff, the Headmaster of Durmstrang added.

"You better watch that foul mouth of yours Karkaroff. We all know what happened the last time you gave your suspicions", Moody retorted, glaring at the man.

"Alastor, leave it!" Dumbledore interfered.

"I'm sorry headmistreez, but what eez happening?" Fleur asked Madame Maxine.

"This boy has somehow entered ze tournament. The goblet spilled out his name as well!" she scathed, glaring at Harry. He bit his tongue to remark at the way she said boy as if he was a toddler.

"Well zat eez preposterous. There are only three championez, he is too small…"

Dumbledore perhaps sensing that Harry would intervene at that remark, interrupted. "Everyone needs to calm down," he said gently, but his eyes were firm. "Harry can you explain any of this," he asked, his eyes piercing through Harry.

"No, sir. I have absolutely no idea how this hap-"

"Of course he'd say that. The boy is just looking for attention", Karkaroff once again remarked.

"I AM NOT!" Harry finally shouted, his temper getting the best of him. Karkaroff stepped back, in a frightened leap. Before he could snap back, Dumbledore interfered again.

"Can the other three champions, please retire for the night. I am sure your friends will be looking to celebrate with you. Your teachers will inform you about the type of task later. Remember, you are exempt from all your exams this year unless they are mandatory such as Cedric's NEWTS. Also, remember that you will be able to skip any classes you desire to prepare for the tournament", Dumbledore spoke, motioning for the other students to leave. They walked off, Fleur shooting a scathing look at Harry, which he couldn't be bothered to return. He couldn't distinguish the emotions across Cedric's face, but he couldn't care about that right now.

Harry watched them leave the room. Every adult in the room was looking at him and it was starting to freak him out. "Sir", he said looked to Dumbledore. "What is going to happen now?"

"I am sorry Harry, but I don't know the answer to that" he sighed defeated, looking every bit of his old age. "However, Mr Crouch is here, and perhaps he can", he said looking to the rigid man.

"He must take part. The goblet is the highest magically binding contract there is. He either must perform, or he will die." The lack of emotion bothered Harry; _stupid man couldn't care less if I died._

"Surely Barty that's not possible. He's only a fourth year. This tournament isn't made for him!" McGonagall answered, the woman's usual sternness completely gone, as worry marred her face.

"Minerva don't worry!" Ludo Bagman spoke up. The excitement in his voice; completely opposite to the atmosphere in the room. "This could be groundbreaking. The tournament has never had four champions."

"Ludo! This is not exciting. How dare-", her tirade was ended by Dumbledore waving his hand.

"This is not the time Minerva" he sighed. He looked towards Harry once again. "Harry the parchment in your hand. Can you pass it over to me", he said gently.

Harry looked at the headmaster, not surprised at all that he knew the parchment had blood on it. Silently, he handed the crunched up writing to him.

He stayed quiet for a few moments looking at the writing. Harry took the time to look at the occupants in the room. The other headmasters were watching over Dumbledore's shoulder as he administered diagnostic spells. McGonagall and Moody were having a soft conversation between each other with Moody's magical moving every few seconds to face him. Snape was in his natural hiding place in the shadows, looking unbothered by Harry's predicament.

Dumbledore finally finished his spells, his face looking grim. "What is it, sir?" Harry asked, fear creeping up.

The headmaster stayed quiet for a few more seconds before sighing. "This is not human blood" he concluded.

"Blood!" Professor McGonagall gasped. "Albus, whatever do you mean?" The other members looked interestingly to the headmaster.

"Young Harry's parchment was different from the other champions. The writing was written with blood."

"And if it wasn't human, what type of blood was it?" Snape asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Crow blood"

At his remark, all the blood from Professor McGonagall's face drained. Harry noticed that even the Beauxbatons' headmistress looked a bit shocked at the admission.

"I don't understand professor." Harry asked confusingly. "What does that mean?"

Dumbledore shifted his gaze to him. "The crow is symbolic of death. Whoever put you in here, wants you to die."

* * *

Harry walked out of the room, heading towards the main staircase. _The crow is symbolic of death._ _It's Voldemort. It has to be. This was the plan he was talking about. This way he doesn't even have to get his hands dirty._ He reached the staircase, to see a nervous looking Cedric pacing around.

"Cedric?" Harry asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to have a small chat" he spoke nervously.

"You want to know if I put my name in" Harry replied.

"No of course not. Your reaction when you came to the trophy room was enough to discern that you were innocent."

"You… you believe me?" Harry sputtered, thinking that the Hogwarts champion would get angry at his moment being taken away from him.

"Of course… but this isn't going to go well for you" he added honestly.

"Thanks, you've given me high hopes for the tournament now", Harry replied sarcastically.

"I'm not talking about the tournament", at Harry's confused look, he continued. "I mean the reaction of the school isn't going to go well for you. I'll talk to my house, but they're really going to dislike you. Hufflepuff never really is in the spotlight, so they'll resent you. They won't even be your worst problems. You have to watch out for the Slytherins, especially that Malfoy boy you always seem to fight with"

"I know Cedric. The people of the wizarding world are sheep. They'll turn on me in a matter of seconds now. This hasn't been the first time it's happened and it won't be the last" he finished morosely.

"I'm sorry Harry. You don't deserve this. I remember when people called you the heir of Slytherin. The stories about you are fanatical, almost something out of a storybook with you apparently killing Quirrell, something about a Basilisk and werewolves."

Harry laughed nervously. "Rumours at this school get out of hand, don't believe everything you hear". However, he was shocked internally that his adventures had gotten so much attention.

"Yeah, I'm not one to find much truth in rumours. But anyway Harry, I'll see you around," he finished; walking down the staircase to where Harry guessed was the Hufflepuff common room. As he descended, he turned around. "And Harry. If you need any help, I don't mind giving you any tips. We are the Hogwarts champions after all."

"Thanks, Cedric. And no, I'm not the champion, it's just you and you fully deserve it. I'm not taking anything away from you." The Hufflepuff grinned in return and walked away.

Sighing to himself, Harry prepared for the Gryffindor Common Room.

He reached the Fat Lady in time, whispering the password to be granted entry. The portrait swung open to pandemonium.

"HARRY" Fred and George bellowed together, dragging him into the middle of the room. Everyone in the house seemed to be in the common room. There were masses of food and butterbeer on the counters, which the twins must have supplied. Loud music was blaring from someone's radio. Before Harry could say anything, the twins lifted him up and propped him on their shoulders as everyone cheered.

"How did you do it?" a third year asked, as the twins finally put him down. The common room quietened down at the question, all looking towards Harry.

"I didn't," Harry answered. "I don't know how it happened-", he tried to explain further, but no one seemed to care that he didn't do it. The entire room still laughed and joked around, believing he had somehow beaten the Goblet of Fire. As the crowd dispersed, to continue the party, Fred and George pulled him over to the couches.

"Alright Harry, not that the rest have gone. You want to tell us how you got in", George asked ecstatically.

"I told you, George. It must have been his invisibility cloak that got him through it." Fred replied before Harry could talk.

"Listen dear Fredrick, and as I told you, there's no way the cloak could have gotten past Dumbledore's age line. He's Dumbledore for a reason" George retorted back.

Before Fred could reply back with another Harry-Goblet conspiracy theory, Harry interrupted. "Listen, guys. I seriously didn't put my name in there."

"Harry you can tel-" Fred stopped as he looked into his friend's eyes. "Merlin, you're serious aren't you" he gasped. " You actually didn't do it."

"Yeah" was all he said, the full shock finally seeping in.

"So what happened in the trophy room then," George asked, his tone uncharacteristically morose.

"It's been a long night guys. I'll tell you some other time" he finished, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

The twins nodded their head simultaneously. "Also where's Ron and Hermione. I should talk to them privately as well." Harry added.

"They're there by the corner" Fred replied. "Hermione was unusually quiet during the party, and Ron seemed off as well." Harry nodded his thanks, and walked to the corner to see his two friends whispering between themselves quietly. They seemed to be arguing about something, stopping immediately as Harry came.

"So you finally came to see us then", Ron spoke quietly, his voice steely.

"I just came to the party Ron", Harry replied.

"Oh. I thought you'd be hanging out with your new champion friends. Harry Potter, killer of You-Know-Who and Victor Krum's new best friend." Ron scathed.

"What? Ron stop being ridiculous. You know I haven't put my name in the Goblet."

"Of course not Harry. These things always happen to you. It's not like you already had fame and money, but now something else to add underneath your belt" Ron retorted, standing up from his chair, and walking towards Harry.

"Ron I didn't do this" he replied softly, looking straight into Ron's eyes. "Do you believe me or not?" Harry asked.

"Maybe…" but then shaking his head at his own words, he continued, making up his mind. "No… I don't believe you. You've changed this year Harry or perhaps you've always been like this and now you're showing your true colours."

"Really Ron, me showing my true colours" he replied angrily. "Or are you the one who's finally showed himself to be a jealous prick. If I've always wanted fame, why haven't I gone around talking about my defeat of Voldemort or slaying the Basilisk? Why Ron, would I put myself into mortal danger?"

Ron didn't seem to see the reason in his remark. "We're done Harry", he concluded, shoving Harry slightly as he stomped off towards their bedroom. Harry didn't know what to feel, as he felt the friendship off his first Hogwarts friend crumble.

Sitting down, he looked to his bushy-haired friend opposite to him. "You believe me, don't you Hermione?" Harry asked; he couldn't keep the note of pleading out of it.

"Actually… I don't Harry. Ron was right. You've changed this year Harry. All those late nights you were gone off, and I was wondering what you were doing. How you seemed to be first in our classes, beating me when you were never this good. You've been training for this tournament, and somehow you put yourself in."

"What!" Harry sputtered. "You think that I've been going off to prepare for some stupid tournament. I couldn't care less about the tournament."

"Then how have you been constantly getting spells so fast, and being so talented all off a sudden. You've been up to something and I want to know!" she demanded.

Then it hit Harry. "You don't even care about me being in the tournament. This is all about your ego, and not being first. So this is what our friendship has come to. You didn't care when you were the smartest one and could lord it over me and Ron. But I take a little control of my life, put more effort, and all you can care about is this."

Hermione stood up furiously. "I don't know what you've been up to Harry, butou're different, and I won't stand for it," she spoke softly and haughtily. Taking her bag from the chair, she also left Harry to sit alone.

Harry looked up from his chair, the party still going wildly; meanwhile, his life and friendships were breaking. Not being able to take any more, he shoved himself through the crowd, and exited the common room. He couldn't stay in his bedroom tonight with Ron. Walking up to the seventh floor corridor, he entered the room of requirement, asking for a bedroom. Sitting on the provided bed, he thought of the day. He thought off the huge change that had occurred, and without warning tears fell at the loss of two friendships. It had been breaking for a long time, but he had never prepared for losing them. _No. They don't deserve my tear, _he thought, wiping them off his face._ Sirius was right. Some friends aren't worth it, and they don't deserve my friendship if they can't accept me taking control._Settling himself into bed, he fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"_Harry Potter"_

Daphne watched as the champions got their names called, even clapping along when Cedric was chosen as champion. The boy had a good head on his shoulders, and had a good chance of winning the tournament.  
She was about to turn and ask Tracey to the library when she heard his name. Spinning around she watched. The boy hadn't even noticed his name being called out; he had been focusing on the door. She watched the Weasley twins push him up, and his shocked face. He glanced at her for a second, and she herself couldn't keep the surprise out of her face.

After the professors followed, the entire Great Hall burst into shouts of outrage, mainly coming from her table and the Hufflepuffs. She glanced to the Gryffindor table where the twins looked unbelievably excited at the prospect of their friend competing. However, the reaction from his supposed best friends seemed to be completely different. Granger had an annoyed look on her face, while the younger Weasley looked enraged.

She stood up with the rest of her house, and walked towards the dungeons, Tracey by her side.

"What the utter hell", Tracey exclaimed, knocking Daphne out of her thoughts.

"I know Tracey… I know. How is that possible?" she inquired, talking more to herself than Tracey.

"How did he get past the age line? He couldn't have beaten Dumbledore's enchantments, even with all that training he's been doing," Tracy questioned.

"No, he couldn't have", Daphne agreed. "When we trained, he easily beat me, but… he's not that good."

"So how did he get himself in the competition?"

"What?" Daphne asked confusingly.

"Are you deaf", Tracey smirked.

"No, but you can't actually believe he put himself into that competition."

"How else did he do it? Unless he asked someone older, to do it for him", Tracey pondered.

"What… No Way!" Daphne exclaimed. "Did you see his face, he was fearful and shocked. I don't believe for a second that he attempted to do it." Daphne was very good at reading emotions, sometimes a trait she believed she got from her father. She was able to discern small facial cues to usually get an idea about a person's honesty. Potter's face had showed her enough to know that he didn't do it.

"Maybe", Tracey replied unconvincingly. "But, he probably won't even be in the tournament. If the contract is only for participants who are seventeen and older, he may be exempt from doing it", she continued.

"Yeah you're probably right", Daphne replied, feeling some ease at Tracey's sentence. Whispering the password to the wall, it slid open to admit her to the Slytherin Common Room. There stood Draco Malfoy, standing on one of the tables, as the majority of the Slytherins surrounded him, looking captivated by his speech.

"… and if Potter does this tournament, he'll probably end up dead. Finally Dumbledore's golden boy will be reunited with his parents", he seemed to have finished his speech, gaining a cheer from the rest of the room, mainly the younger students who were scared of the Malfoy name.

Daphne rolled her eyes at the buffoonery on display. Moving to sit on the couches, as the crowd dispersed, she was joined by another friend.

"Blaise" she spoke in greeting. The boy replied with a nod, sitting opposite to her and Tracey. Blaise was probably the only person apart from Tracey that she could call a friend in the Slytherin common room. They never really hung out with each other, but he always helped when she had any homework problems, and never attempted to make advances towards her which she greatly appreciated. He was a master at subtlety and perceptive beyond belief, traits that proved his worth as a Slytherin. He was a quiet person, happy to be amongst his books and keep away from trouble. He had no problem integrating into different groups which meant he was never a target for Malfoy and his cronies. Apparently, there were big conspiracies about his mother killing of her husbands, but she had never been brave enough to ask him if they were true.

"Daphne… Tracey, how are you?" he replied quietly, stretching his arms across the top of the couch.

"Fine, Blaise" Tracey answered. "Are you also here to wonder how in Merlin's name that Potter was able to put his name in the Goblet" she questioned.

"Yes, and I was actually hoping that Daphne would be able to help answer it" he responded.

"Me?" Daphne asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well," he began softly; moving closer to make sure no one else heard their conversation. "I've been able to see that over the past month, you and Potter have some kind of tentative friendship. So maybe you would know his motives for the tournament?"

Daphne wasn't surprised to know that Blaise knew about her semi-friendship with Potter. "No Blaise. If he has somehow managed to hoodwink the Goblet, he hasn't confided in me about it" she answered honestly.

"But you don't actually believe he's hoodwinked it", Blaise replied perceptively.

Wringing her hands together, Daphne thought of her next words. "From what we've spoken about, and from what I've glanced at his personality, this does not seem to be a move he'd make. You as well as I know, there's more to him that meets the eye, but a pompous fame seeker is not him", she finished.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," he said as he stood up from the couches. "More information about it will probably come in the next few days anyway" he finished, before turning around and walking towards the boy's staircase.

"He's probably right" Tracey agreed. "We won't learn anymore tonight so I'm going off to bed" she concluded, waving goodbye to Daphne.

Daphne sat at the couches for a few more minutes thinking to herself, before going to sleep. _How do these things always happen to you, Harry?_

* * *

The pain was all he felt. Not physical pain, but a huge emotional weight sitting on him, as Harry woke up. The images of the last night flashed through his head. Groaning, and rubbing the headache which was forming, he got out of the bedroom. Anticipating his thoughts, the room provided an adjoining bathroom for Harry. He was thankful for it being a Saturday, knowing that he could avoid everyone for the weekend, and let the situation die down.

Coming out from the bathroom, he looked around the room, only to realise all his possessions were in his bedroom. He needed his invisibility cloak and the marauder's map to avoid detection for the next few days. Sighing at his misfortune, he sat down on his bed again, until an idea came to him.

"Dobby!"

A small crack in the room alerted him that his idea had worked. The elf looked like Christmas had come early be being called, his eyes wide open and bat-like ears flapping. "Master Harry Potter has called. Master Harry Potter is needing Dobby's help!" the elf said excitedly.

"I sure do Dobby", Harry agreed, smiling for the first time today at Dobby's excitement. "I was surprised you were able to respond to my call."

"All Hogwarts elves be having these abilities, Master Harry Potter. Any student can call a Hogwarts elf, but very few students even know about us house elves working here, so no one ever calls. Until you did Master Harry Potter!" he exclaimed, hugging Harry's leg in a vice grip.

"Oh! That's great then. So would you be able to do me a favour then?" At Dobby's excited nod, he continued, "Great! I need an invisibility cloak and this map from my bedroom. It'll be the only two things in the second compartment of my trunk, and if you get it, could you bring it to me, please. Also please try to not alert any of my roommates."

"I sure can Master Harry Potter", the elf replied, nodding his head vigorously. "And Dobby will make sure he's not seen!" Dobby disapparated, leaving Harry alone for a few minutes. The elf soon appeared with the desired items in his hand, much to Harry's relief.

"Thanks, Dobby! I'll probably see you in the kitchens a lot for the next few days." This led to another hug from the elf, who disapparated once again to get on with his job.

Slipping the cloak on, he left the room of requirement, heading towards the main staircases. He looked at the map, happy to see that most people were in the great hall which meant he wouldn't have a lot of disturbance in the corridors. He reached the main floor and was about to walk lower to the kitchens when his curiosity got the better of himself.

He walked into the Great Hall, standing in a corner to watch the reactions of the students. Cedric had been right last night. The Hufflepuffs looked unbelievably angry, and many kept glancing towards the door, hoping to see if he would make an entrance. He looked around the hall, and noticed most people seemed to be reading the newspaper; Malfoy, in particular, seemed to be laughing at the contents on the front page, as did many of the other Slytherins.

He waited for a few minutes until he saw two second years walk out, one holding a newspaper in her hand. Following under his invisibility cloak, he muttered a quick Accio charm at the newspaper, pulling it under the cloak. He almost laughed at the surprised reaction of the girl as she looked around comically for her paper. He was going to read it then, but his stomach grumbled loudly, so he carried it to the kitchens. The elves provided him with masses of food which he demolished in minutes. Setting the paper, he read:

_**FOUR CHAMPIONS OF THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT?**_

_Yesterday night, Hogwarts held the long-anticipated selection of the champions from the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. Delegations of students came from the Wizarding Schools of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons to compete, however, this was not the most exciting event of the night. This reporter got the luck to be able to witness such an event, only for it to be hampered by an illegal champion. _

_Harry Potter, defeater of You-Know-Who, was selected as the fourth champion of the tournament in a surprise move. As my readers can suspect, the reactions of the rest of the students were outraged at Harry Potter stealing the spotlight from real Hogwarts Champion- Cedric Diggory (Son of Amos Diggory, an employee at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures)_

_While no student was readily available for an interview about the elusive Mr Potter, we were able to snatch a talk with Ludo Bagman, former beater of the Wimbourne Wasps and organiser of the tournament: "Well Rita, as said before, the contract is magically binding, and despite Harry's age he shall have to compete in the tournament. However, no matter how he got in, this is the first time in 600 years of the tournament, that there have been four champions. I'm very excited to see how the rest of the event goes and am sure Mr Potter will perform amiably."_

_Well there you have it dear readers; Mr Potter will have to compete in this highly dangerous tournament. This reporter still has many questions. Is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts involved in the manipulation of the Goblet of Fire? Is this just a play for Mr Potter to receive more fame? Will Mr Potter be able to survive such a tournament at such a young age? These questions and many more shall be answered by yours truly. The other champions were Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons and Victor Krum from Durmstrang._

_Rita Skeeter: Correspondent to the Daily Prophet_

_**For more on Harry Potter; see page 12  
For more on Ludovic Bagman; see page 16**_

Harry crushed the paper in his hands, throwing it on the floor. _Great, this woman just added more fuel to the fire._ The paper barely mentioned the other champions which meant more people were going to hate him. With his rage rising against the Skeeter woman, he pulled on his invisibility cloak, heading straight to the room of requirement. Asking the room to provide him with multiple dummies, he started blasting them with the most destructive spells he knew, throwing his anger at the room.

Most of the weekend was spent like this for Harry. He would learn new spells from the books provided in the room and only leave to the kitchens for food. The twins came to check on him on Saturday night but quickly left after they realised he was in no mood to talk.

* * *

Daphne was worried. No one had seen Harry since the selection of the tournament. Many students had waited in the Great Hall after each meal to see if he would appear, but he never came. She wondered if he had seen the news article, knowing that it had set even more people against him in school. Currently, it was dinner time, and the start of the week was tomorrow so she knew he had to appear. She was eating alone because Tracey had left early to finish homework for Transfiguration.

Looking at the Gryffindor table, she saw the Weasley twins leaving, giving her an idea. Setting her spoon down, she quickly followed them. Running up the staircase she called after them. "Weasley!"

Both twins turned to look at her. "Yes?" one of them said. "How can we help you Ms-?"

"Greengrass", she completed.

"How could we help you Miss Greengrass" the other twin spoke.

"Not here", Daphne replied, pointing to the students leaving the great hall. She didn't want any Slytherins to see her and make her life anymore troubling.

"Well lead the way", one of them said. They let her pass her. She understood that they wanted to be behind her in case she made an attempt to attack her. _Maybe all Weasley's aren't as dumb as the one in my year._

Taking them to a secluded classroom, she quickly shut the door and applied locking charms and muffling charms. As she turned around, two wands were pointed at her face.

"Woah… hey, I come in peace" she said, holding her hands up in retreat.

"Well what are we supposed to think," the twin said. "A random Slytherin tells us to follow her and then puts locking charms on the door".

"Look…" she said, slowly reaching for her wand. She pulled it out and dropped it on the floor. "Seriously, I'm just here to talk."

The twins slowly put their arms down, however, they both still clutched the wands in their hands. "So what exactly do you need from us?"

"I'd like to see Ha… Potter"

"And what makes you think we know where he is, and more importantly why would you want to see him?"

"Look, guys, I know him… we're sort of friends and I just want to check up on him", she replied.

"How are we supposed to trust that? You could be lying and just trying to humiliate him in some other way. He certainly hasn't mentioned you to us"

"Obviously he hasn't. I'm a Slytherin. I'm sure he thought that you guys wouldn't trust me if we knew each other. You've seen how our school is. Gryffindors and Slytherins are never friends," she finished; a small twinge of sadness hitting her as she also came to the realisation about that fact.

"You shouldn't place too much trust in stereotypes Miss Greengrass. We don't care about what house you're in. Yes, my brother and I have pranked students, often those being in Slytherin. But we don't do it because of house names, but those who are often gits to us"

"Fine, I'm sorry for placing you in that category. But after your brother, Ron, I just thought you guys would also dislike Slytherins on principle", she added.

"No, we don't think like that. But to the matter at hand. We still can't place our trust in you, by taking you to Harry. Slytherin or not", one of the twins concluded. _Is it Fred or George? How does anyone discern the two?_

"Ok then," she said. She picked up her wand off the floor, and again the twins raised theirs to face her. Not saying anything, she tossed it to one of them, who swiftly caught it. "Is that proof enough to trust me", she said raising her eyebrows challengingly.

They looked down at the wand for a second, before whispering to each other for a few moments. "Fine. We'll take you to him. But if you pull anything, it's him your facing, and he could wipe the floor with you". They handed the wand back to her

"Thank you" she gratified, stowing her wand back in her robes.

Unlocking the door, they led her up the staircase, until they reached the seventh floor. "This is where he's been the last two days?" she asked, more to herself.

The twins just nodded in response before coming to the end of a corridor. "Alright, Fred will wait here with you, and I'm going to go ask Harry if he wants to see you" he said. She watched as he rounded the corridor, going somewhere else.

"Where's he going?" she asked the remaining twin.

"Just some room Harry's in" Fred replied cryptically.

She nodded her head, knowing that it must be some secret. He broke the silence once more. "You know, we went to talk to him yesterday. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to us, so if he actually knows you, don't be disheartened if he doesn't want to talk to you either" he concluded, looking sad at Harry's situation.

She just nodded in response. They waited for a few minutes before, the other twin came back. "Well, he said he'll meet you, and that we can show her the room" he replied rubbing his head, seemingly confused that he'd let her see the room.

"He said she can come to the room?" Fred replied in confusion.

"Yeah, I know", he said. Looking to her, "I guess you guys actually know each other then. Sorry for doubting you" he said.

They took her to the corridor that George had gone through and stopped at an empty wall.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Daphne replied angrily.

"Just have some patience", Fred smirked. He paced the wall three times before a door materialised before her.

"Merlin…" she said, her eyes widening at the magic on display.

"Just go in through. He's there. Also, mind the mess…" George said.

"We'll leave you two alone. I trust you know how to get back to your common room", Fred added.

They walked away, leaving Daphne alone. Pushing her nervousness down, she opened the door. She didn't immediately see him, but instead chaos. There were hundreds of dummies strewn across the floor, some with blasts through them, while others just had the head remaining. There was a bookcase to the side, and behind it, Harry was sitting, flipping through a book.

"Harry?" she said nervously.

"Hey Daphne", he said not looking up from the book.

"What the hell happened here?" she exclaimed.

"I got angry at that stupid article, and how the wizarding world has once again shown me to be an attention seeker", he spoke softly, still looking down at the book.

Asking a few more questions, he replied in the same way, sometimes just giving a one-word answer and not looking up to her once. Getting annoyed, she grabbed the book from his hands, and threw it across the floor, ignoring his shocked face. "So this is what you do? You hide away from everyone and everything, hoping that it'll die down!" her voice, showing her frustration.

"Why are you getting angry at me?" he replied, getting up to face her.

"Because I have been worried about you the entire weekend. I believed in you and thought we were friends! Doesn't the fact that I'm here show that I know you didn't do it" she replied incensed. However, she wasn't finished, "and when I do come to see you, you don't even look me in the eye and talk."

"I'm not hiding from anyone. It's just better this way. I don't want the others to focus on me when there are three better champions who are meant to be in this tournament," he retorted, his voice rising.

"I'm sorry Harry, but that is just idiotic. The longer you draw this out, the worse it'll be for yourself. You're being a coward…"

"I AM NOT A COWARD!" he shouted, cutting her off. "I'M JUST FUCKING TIRED OF THIS. EVERYONE EXPECTS SO MUCH FROM ME. ONE DAY, I'M THE DEFEATER OF VOLDERMORT, THE NEXT DAY I'M A LIAR, A CHEAT AND MADE FUN OFF. NO ONE GIVES A SHIT. MY OWN BEST FRIENDS LEFT… THEY'RE MY FRIENDS WHEN IT'S EASY, BUT LEAVE ME WHEN IT GETS HARD…"

"Harry, calm down…" she tried to speak, but he didn't hear her, almost like he was ranting to himself

"WHY SHOULD I NOT HIDE FROM MY PROBLEMS? YOU'VE NEVER BEEN SET AGAINST THE WHOLE SCHOOL, BEING MOCKED CONSTANTLY, SOME BEING FRIGHTENED BY YOUR VERY PRESENCE. SO I AM SICK OF IT. AND WHAT NOW? MY NAME SHOWING UP IN THIS TOURNAMENT BECAUSE SOMEONE WANTS ME DEAD", his voice cracking at the end and his face completely red.

"WHAT!" she shouted, her voice matching his.

His tirade finally ended at her shout. Realising what he said, he backtracked, "It's nothing… It's my problem", he stammered, dragging his hand through his hair.

"And would this be the same problem you mentioned when I caught you training." At his silence, she realised she had gotten it right. "Fine, don't tell me. We're not best friends or anything like that and you don't have to share everything with me."

"So you won't mention this to anyone? Even Tracey?"

"If you don't want me to, I will not." Continuing, she spoke again, "… and you're right. I'm sorry, you're not a coward and I don't know how it feels. But you can also look at this in another way." At his confused look, she pressed on. "What I mean, is that you can use this competition to show everyone that you're not a person to be messed with."

He looked thoughtful at that. "I guess I can see that point. But I'm way over my head here, these guys are well beyond me in skills" he sighed.

"And there lies your advantage. You're the underdog. They don't expect much from you and aren't going to see you as a risk. And someone who's underestimated but powerful can always cause trouble for others. From the destruction in this room, I can tell you've added more spells, even though they seem to all be destructive" she laughed at the end, causing him to chuckle as well.

"So you think I have a chance of getting through this?" he asked.

"I do, and I'm going to help you train because I'm your friend. And screw Granger and Weasley if they can't accept your success."

"Thanks, Daphne. I appreciate that… more than you can imagine" he responded, looking much lighter.

"No worries. I am your friend Harry, and you have many real ones. You wouldn't know how much I had to go through before the twins let me see you. They look like good people for you" she replied, giving him a smile.

He gave a smile in response before his face morphed into one of more seriousness;"But Daphne, you've got to promise me one thing" he continued. "No matter what the situation with the other kids are like. Please don't stand up for me because that will just paint a target on your back. Especially Malfoy and his buddies" he finished, looking at her worried.

She smirked at this before replying. "Harry, you should know this. Subtlety is a defining characteristic of Slytherin. I don't have to be loud and boisterous to stand up for you. There are many more ways to get people back" she added. "But now… why don't you tell me about this room and all the training we're going to do?"

Harry laughed, "Well it all started when Fred and George were hungry and showed me the kitchens…"

* * *

**Well, there you go. Chapter 6 is finally complete. Sorry for such a late update, but I've been so busy with A-Levels and I finally finished all my exams.  
I've read all the reviews, and I'm so grateful for all the positive comments. I'm also really thankful for all the constructive criticism, and I've updated my past chapters. Also, I fixed some spellings and sentences to make it more coherent.**

**Also for this chapter: I know Harry seemed very emotional, and I'm not going to always write him like this. But I feel other writers often gloss over when his friendship breaks with Ron or Hermione. He's been best friends with them for three years, and this would cause him to be hugely upset and angry which is why he goes through such a range of emotions. **

**Finally, please review, follow, and favourite because it means a lot to me. Reviews are unbelievably helpful for writers and you guys are great. Remember you can also PM me anything you want such as ideas or questions.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The walk from the room of requirement to the great hall seemed like forever. He hadn't run into anyone yet and for that he was thankful. The thought of seeing everyone else for the first time after his selection was making him nauseous, even after his talk with Daphne the previous night.

He had ended up telling her the entire story of the room of requirement and its features. They proceeded to experiment with the versatility of the room, Daphne excited by the training dummies and access to multiple books. He hadn't made any mention of the crow blood, not anxious to share that secret with anyone else.

He was already late to breakfast and that annoyed him because it meant most people would already be there eating. He steeled himself before descending the final staircase and walked straight through the hall, keeping his head down. Moving quickly to the Gryffindor table and sitting near the end, he felt elated that no one had seen him yet, but of course, luck was not on his side.

"Hey look. It's Harry Potter!" a Ravenclaw told his friend; saying it so loud that everyone on his table had heard. Whispering and jeers started immediately. Some people quoted parts of the Skeeter article, causing those around them to laugh, while others shouted insults from other tables. He looked towards the Slytherin table in front of him, where Malfoy was making mock crying noises to those around him. Shouts of 'cheat' and 'liar' sporadically were propelled towards him.

"Enough!" Dumbledore shouted, his voice easily carrying over all the noise. "Please behave yourselves, before I start deducting points and giving detentions" he ordered.

The noise immediately decreased, but Harry could still hear the whispers being carried out. "Just ignore them", a voice said to the right. Harry turned to see the twins and Lee Jordan bringing their plates and food to sit next to him.

"Yeah Harry, they're just jealous sods", Fred added, eliciting an agreeing nod from Lee.

"And if it's any worth, Harry. I believe you too", Lee added, causing Harry to grin.

"Thanks, guys. That means a lot", Harry replied.

"And remember," George said. "If they mess with you, they mess with us. We'll prank them until they never utter anything bad about you", he remarked; the statement causing Harry to chuckle.

"Well, I better go to Potions now. Can't wait to get through a lesson with Snape and Malfoy", Harry sighed, finishing the last bit of his porridge.

"Ahh, well at least you'll have the company of a pretty lady", Fred winked.

"Yes, she is a fiery one, Harry. Good job there", George added, patting Harry on the back.

"It's nothing like that", Harry said. "We're just friends". At the twins continued smirks, "Oh sod off you pricks" he laughed. "I'll see you guys later", Harry said, waving a goodbye.

* * *

The trip to the dungeons was anything but fun. Students he didn't even know were glaring at him, those mainly from Hufflepuff. Numerous students seemed to be wearing badges that showed their support of Cedric. However, whenever he walked past, they would press it and his face would appear with an insult. He reached the dungeon and ignoring the malicious glares from the Slytherins, he walked into the room.

"Psst… Potter", Malfoy spoke, when everyone had entered the class. "Is it true you've been hiding and crying this entire weekend about your impending death?" he laughed. Pansy Parkinson laughed as well, while Crabbe and Goyle made human-like grunts.

Harry remained quiet; no one from Gryffindor seemed to stand up for him, and Daphne hadn't reached class yet. Hermione had her nose in a book, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact with him. Whereas, Ron just looked at the confrontation lazily, not bothering to step in. His heart sunk at their reactions. '_They're not worth it' _he chided himself, Neville looked slightly angry, his hands clutched in a fist, but he also remained quiet.

"What Potter? Remaining quiet? Did all the crying make your throat raw?" Malfoy chided at Harry's lack of response. "Oh wait. I know why you're silent. Is it because of the badges?" Malfoy snickered. "In case you were wondering, those were my creation", he said proudly, pumping his chest out to show the badge.  
Clutching his wand from his robes, Harry was about to turn and threaten Malfoy, when the boy in question elicited a girl like scream.

Harry turned around to see him shaking violently, and slapping parts of his body. "It's everywhere!" he shrieked, causing Harry and the Gryffindors to laugh at the boy's weird movements.

"Mr Malfoy, what is the meaning of this?" Snape asked, finally entering the room.

"I don't know professor", Malfoy replied. He was now slapping his chest as the strange hex took place. "Potter did it, sir!"Snape sent a quick glare to Harry before muttering a spell, causing Malfoy's twitching to stop immediately.

"Miss Parkinson, escort him to the infirmary now!" Snape told the whimpering girl.  
"And Mr Potter, let's see…" Snape continued, glowering at Harry. "Hexing a student, we'll take 20 points for that now. Perhaps detention as well; I do need new labels for my ingredients" he said, smirking at Harry. "Just because you're the new champion, does not give you special privileges. I didn't think it was possible for your arrogance to reach higher levels, but with you, it does not surprise me.", he finished, sneering as he spoke.

Harry threw him a murderous glare but didn't reply, knowing that it wouldn't end well. Snape stalked off to the board and began explaining. Today was a theoretical lesson, which Harry was grateful for because it meant that he just had to take notes, giving him a smaller chance of antagonising Snape.

"Told you I had your back", a voice whispered as Snape started talking about the properties of Ashwinder eggs.

Turning, he saw Daphne settling her books on the desk next to him. "You did that to Malfoy?" he asked, stifling his laughter.

"Well I came in late and saw the little ferret being his usual self, so I sent this nice spell my mother taught me", she smirked.

"What was it?" he inquired.

"It's just a hex that sends little rashes all around his body, which stings him unpleasantly" she replied, smiling as she wrote down notes. "Think of it as a widespread body stinging hex" she expressed.

"Ingenious", Harry smiled. "Those 20 points definitely seem worth it, especially if Malfoy screams like that again. Who knew he could sing so femininely?" he replied.

"Well, I've always thought he was missing a few male parts. So perhaps that explains it?"She grinned, her face still looking down to make sure others didn't see her smiling. Continuing, she asked, "So training session tonight in the room of requirement?" she inquired.

"Yeah", Harry responded. "I thought today we could do some charms work. I spent enough time doing offensive spells this weekend."

"That sounds good. How far exactly have you progressed with the charms spells?" she questioned.

"I've finished the fourth year stuff, and have read a bit of the fifth year theory", he replied.

"Merlin, you've done a lot, but you'll need every piece of knowledge you can get for this tournament."

"Yeah, it's at the end of the month and I've got to be prepared. I've got absolutely no idea what this task is about", he sighed.

"There's nothing you can do about that, but just work to your very best. I know that's not much for motivation, but it is the only way", she finished, however, she suddenly smiled at the end.

"What?" Harry asked quizzically at her smile.

"Well, with all this training, you'll be much ahead of the class in almost all your subjects, right?" she reiterated.

"Yeah. Well, why does that make you smile?" Harry replied.

Smiling again, she continued, "Well just the satisfaction of seeing Granger getting annoyed for not being top in everything".

Harry chuckled lightly at this. "Well she already thinks I'm up to something dark and nefarious anyway, so who cares."

The bell rang, signalling the end of class, Snape giving them more homework at the end. "I'll see you later for training then" Daphne confirmed, putting her books in her bag.

"See you there", Harry said, walking to his next class.

* * *

The next two weeks gave way to a continual routine for Harry. He still hadn't moved back to the Gryffindor Common room and was still sleeping in the room of requirement; periodically asking Dobby to bring him supplies and his possessions. He still attended all his classes because of his promises to Dumbledore earlier in the year and he wouldn't let the headmaster down, no matter how much he wanted to skip History of Magic.

Professor Moody had also taken a greater interest in him, which Harry felt was on Dumbledore's orders. The ex-auror had invited him on occasion after class to talk about his progress for the tournament and seemed to give him subtle tips on what aspects of his training he should be focusing on. Moody also seemed to showcase Harry a lot, evidently still impressed about him being the only one to throw off the Imperius curse. He would often bring Harry forward when teaching new spells (which he had already perfected in training) to the class. Sometimes Harry felt the auror was trying to gauge his skill level and technique, perhaps testing if he was good enough for the tournament.

There had been no breaks in his training, and he diligently worked through the spells in his textbooks. Sometimes he trained with Daphne, but mostly he worked by himself, pushing himself to the limit before exhaustedly collapsing to his bed in the room of requirement. However, he wasn't only learning from his current curriculum. The wide array of books provided by the room meant that he had a never-ending supply to the number of spells that he could learn. Yet he couldn't keep the nervousness from creeping up anytime he saw Cedric or the other champions in the castle, a giant reminder that he was still far behind.

The only change to his routine came from his transfiguration lesson, two weeks before the first task. "Mr Potter, could you stay back after the lesson. I'd just like to have a small chat with you", Professor McGonagall had told him halfway through their lesson. They had been learning to do cross-species switches. Harry who had learnt it weeks prior had completed the spell easily in the first few minutes, not caring anymore about Hermione's glares throughout the lesson. In most of his lessons, he would finish first, prompting his professors to often give him harder tasks on the same topic as a challenge.

Waiting, as everyone left, Harry walked over to McGonagall's desk. "What may I do for you, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Let's discuss it my office, Mr Potter," she said, leading him towards a room in the back. Harry had never been and therefore was surprised by the request. The office matched her personality with her desk being perfectly tidy and every bit organised. The room was decorated simply, nothing like the chaos of the headmaster's personal office. She had her own personal bookshelf, filled to the brim with different transfiguration books. In the corner, a wall was filled with small photos, and just like every picture in the Wizarding world, they moved. Inspecting them closer, he saw that they were ex-students, and the people in the pictures were all performing complex and intricate transfiguration spells to various objects.

"Ahh you've seen the photos", McGonagall said; a small smile on her face. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed one," she said, pointing to a photo at the top. There lay a photo of his dad performing spells on the very classroom he had just come from. He was transforming different objects into animals and changing parts of the room into different scenarios.

"As a teacher, you're not supposed to have favourites, but when you've been teaching as long as I have, I like to keep memories of the reasons I became a teacher in the first place," she said, pointing to dozens of students that she had trained through the years.

"Was he really that good?" Harry asked, still transfixed on the photo.

"Best in his year, every year. You don't get that very often" she replied genuinely.

"What about my mother. Was she not that good in Transfiguration?", Harry asked.

"In all honesty, Mr Potter, transfiguration wasn't your mother's interest, and while she was good in the subject, she didn't have the same passion as your father did. Her skills lay in charms and runes, and if you were to ask Professor Flitwick, he would happily entertain you on her talent", she replied. Harry smiled, always happy to hear anything about his parents.

Looking away from the photo, he looked towards the professor. "So what do you want to discuss professor?" Harry asked, taking a seat in front of her desk.

"A few things" she replied. "Firstly the headmaster wanted me to give this to you," she said, pulling out a note from her drawers. He took the note, putting it away in his robes.

"Secondly, I'd like to discuss your performance in Transfiguration this year" she continued.

Shifting in his seat slightly, Harry responded. "I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" Harry replied.

"I feel that your closer acquaintance with the Weasley twins have been rubbing off on you and has made you render guilty to things you have not done," she said causing Harry to smirk amusedly."No Mr Potter, on the contrary, I'm pleased with your progress. However, you're holding back" she finished perceptively.

"What do you mean professor?"

"I mean that I can see that you have progressed beyond this year's curriculum", she noted.

"How did you know?"Harry replied, taken aback.

"Well Mr Potter, befuddling as it is, I have been teaching transfiguration for more than 50 years, and do feel I am quite competent in the subject" she retorted jokingly. Continuing, "the last task I made you do today for the cross-species switch was between the chicken and turkey. Your successful demonstration showed me that you've reached around halfway through the fifth year course due to the difficulty of those animals. Would I be correct in my assumption?"

"Yes Professor. That would be correct", Harry replied.

Remaining silent for a few seconds, the professor spoke again; "Well done Mr Potter. I don't give praise often, but you've earned it. You were unjustly thrown in this tournament, and no matter the odds, you're persevering" she smiled, but not one of her light smiles, but a full smile, something Harry had only seen her do when Gryffindor decimated Slytherin in Quidditch.

"Thank you Professor", Harry said, smiling back. Standing up to leave, he was stopped.

"Just one last thing before I take any more of your time. However, this is coming as your head of house, not your transfiguration professor" she spoke. Not sure of what she meant, Harry let her proceed. "It's come to my attention that since your selection, you haven't been residing in the Gryffindor common room."

Harry's mouth slightly opened, realising only one person would have told him off to a teacher; a person who he hadn't talked to in weeks. _Hermione did this… She sunk this low. Unbelievable._

"Now I realise this tournament has been tough for you and has strained your relationships. But a word of advice, Mr Potter. Some people will use anything they have against you to cause issues and greater animosity. Don't hide away from them, but embrace the qualities of Gryffindor that I know you so strongly represent, and if you have even the slightest of issues, come to me and I will sort it out. I won't have dissension within my house" she concluded, standing up.

"I know Professor. I'll go back to living there today. I just didn't want to cause problems with anyone in the house", he replied softly.

Moving to open the door, she spoke as he walked out. "Perhaps it wasn't what the general Gryffindors thought of you that pushed you away, but specific individuals," she said finishing the talk.

Harry walked out the door, coming to a realisation of what she meant. She was right. He had never cared what people usually thought of him, but he had never been against both his two ex-best friends before, and he had been scared to have another face off with them. That's why he had moved away, but no longer. His friendship with Ron and Hermione were over, but it didn't mean he should avoid them and subsequently his common room because of them.

Remembering the note, McGonagall had given him at the start of their talk; he pulled it out from his robes and began to read.

_Harry,  
Would it be possible for you to visit my office after dinner tonight? Around 8 pm would be splendid as we have a few things to do._

_P.S: I do seem to enjoy acid pops lately._

Smiling at the Headmaster's way of telling him the password, he stowed the note away.

* * *

"So I told Terry Boot no. If he wants to take me to Hogsmeade, he cannot suggest Madame Puddifoot's shop as a first date", Tracey spoke. "He just thinks if he takes me there, I'll have some need to desperately snog him" she continued, causing Daphne to laugh.

"So what did you say back to him?" Daphne inquired.

"Well, I obviously said no", Tracey replied haughtily.

"And…?" Daphne pressed.

"What do you mean?" Tracey questioned.

"Tracey with you, it's never a simple no. You always say something extra and I bet this time was no different. So what else did you say?"

"Well…. I might have told him that he would have better luck if his appearance matched his confidence" Tracey smiled guiltily.

"Tracey!" Daphne admonished, but laughed slightly. "You just broke that boy"

"Well, it is true!" Tracey giggled. "And you know how he is. He probably asked out fifty girls hoping to get some kind of response"

"Ew, why are some guys so desperate" Daphne replied, shaking her head.

"Well your guy isn't", Tracey snickered.

"Ufff Tracey… Harry isn't my guy" Daphne responded.

"Hmmm… funny that you knew I was talking about Harry", Tracey smirked, prompting Daphne to throw a crumpled parchment at her.

"Shut up. It's nothing like that. Yes, we're friends, but that's it" Daphne replied, glaring at her best friend.

"Well this is the first time I've ever seen you spend so much time with a boy alone", Tracey said.

"I just help him with training. That's it"

"Well, that's so boring. You're out alone with him in some room and you guys haven't done anything", Tracey sighed. "Damn Daphne, I'm just trying to live vicariously through you, but you refuse to let me"

"Hmm… maybe you need a boy for yourself, I'm sure I could convince Terry Boot that you'd love to go to Madame Puddifoot's with him", Daphne smirked.

"You… wouldn't… dare", Tracey said, reinforcing each word.

"I'm surprised you two get any work done with all this talking", a voice interjected, before Daphne could reply.

"Oh, hey Blaise. How did you find us?" Tracey inquired. The girls had been sitting in a secluded spot in the library that allowed them to move away from the prying eyes of Madam Pince.

"Even though you may be hidden away, your giggles travel across the room, interrupting a perfectly good book I was reading", Blaise answered jokingly, taking a seat next to the girls.

"You know Blaise if you hadn't dated Hannah Abbot last year, I'd really think you were sexually inclined towards those books of yours", Daphne replied.

"Interesting choice of words since I hear someone might be sexually inclined towards the Gryffindor Golden Boy" retorted Blaise, a smirk marring his face.

Tracey burst out laughing at this, causing Madame Pince to shout a warning about the noise. "I am not Blaise," Daphne replied seriously, sending a glare towards Tracey. "But even if I was, how is that any concern of yours?"

Looking serious all of a sudden, Blaise edged forward. "You need to be careful Daphne. I was talking to Nott a few days ago, and he told me that Draco is getting suspicious about you and Potter's relationship"

"I couldn't give a Hippogriff's arse about Malfoy and his suspicions", Daphne replied, rolling up her finished runes homework.

"Daphne you underestimate him. Yes, you may be more skilled with a wand, but the boy is smart and manipulative. You forget that he learnt from the hands of his father, and say what you will but Lucius Malfoy is no fool", Blaise finished solemnly.

"So what are you trying to say?" Daphne questioned.

"Just watch out, and keep an eye out for him. If word got out about you being friends with a Gryffindor, especially him, your life would become worse than Potter's at the moment" Blaise said, standing up once again.

"I know this Blaise, but I will keep an eye out for Malfoy" Daphne replied seriously.

"It's not only Malfoy. He may have power in our year, but you know there are more dangerous enemies to have than him", Blaise finished, nodding his dismissal.

Daphne knew exactly what he was talking about. Slytherin had a hierarchy. There were certain unwritten rules that everyone followed. Malfoy may be a big cog in the hierarchal chain, but he was not the most important. That role resided in a few select sixth and seventh years, who essentially governed any disputes.  
Professor Snape may have dealt with any big issues, but any smaller problems were corrected by them. Malfoy may be a pain in the arse, but if he brought those issues up towards the elder students, she'd be in big trouble.  
They weren't malicious in any way or would provoke her physically (maybe Malfoy would, but she barely considered him a Slytherin) because of her relationship with Harry. But provocation wasn't a trait of Slytherin, and they would find other ways of making her Hogwarts life as hard as possible.

_I have to be more secretive about my dealings with Harry now._

* * *

"Acid Pops," Harry said to the gargoyle statue, which promptly moved to show the staircase towards the headmasters' office. Knocking at the door, he heard a soft 'enter', before proceeding inside. The room seemed to be the same since he had first visited it in his second year. The circular room still had the same charm and chaos that came with it. Dumbledore's curious instruments were in the corner making different whirring noises. Bookshelves lined one corner with the oldest books Harry had ever seen. Behind the claw-footed desk, sat Dumbledore, looking a lot more jovial than his last encounter with the man in the trophy room.

"Ahh, Harry… take a seat, and we'll have a small chat before we get to the main reason I wanted to see you today."

Harry obliged, pulling up a chair in front of the headmaster, the twinkle in his eye diminishing as he spoke; "Firstly, however, I'd like to make an apology for the students' behaviour towards you."

"It's not a problem anymore Sir… I've gotten used to it", Harry said, trying to downplay the issue, however, Dumbledore didn't fall for it.

"Harry…" he said slowly. "If I could, I'd find a way to make people see reason, but one of the earliest lessons you get when teaching children, is their innate stubbornness", Dumbledore concluded, a small sad smile on his face.

"I know sir, but… it hasn't all been bad. Cedric's been fine to me, and he even offered his help for anything I needed. I've also got some friends to help me and that's all I truly care about", Harry replied.

"That's great to hear Harry. And Mr Diggory is a truly good person, unwavering in loyalty to his friends, and helpful to anyone who asks for it. It was those reasons, I chose to make him Head Boy, and you Harry would benefit from his help, even though I believe that you haven't taken him up on his offer", Dumbledore finished perceptively.

Harry didn't bother asking how he knew that; Dumbledore was just too good in judging his character. "You're right sir… I haven't. I just can't bring myself to ask for help because I want to prove myself. I want to show everyone here, that even though I was forced into this, I'll try and succeed in it. The other champions are fighting to win, while I'm fighting for my survival, a much greater motivator", Harry answered.

"Harry your reasons are sound, but there is nothing wrong with asking for help if you need it. Asking for help isn't a weakness. It's a sign of strength, and shows that you have the courage to admit you don't know something… and that allows you to learn something new. However, it is your choice, and you know your training better than anyone else."

"I'll… I'll keep that in mind sir", Harry replied quietly.

Nodding his head at Harry's answer, Dumbledore continued. "Now to the main part of the evening", Harry moved forward, in anticipation of what was to come. "Professor McGonagall shared her chat with you, to me at dinner today. She was quite proud, I haven't seen her like this in quite a while and that was refreshing to hear", he said causing Harry to smile.

Adding on, he said, "Now when I met you at St Mungo's, I promised that I'd see you and test you periodically on your training. I believe this is a good as time as any to make well on that promise."

"Really sir?" Harry asked, not being able to keep the excitement out of his voice. Training with Daphne was great, but a chance to be tested with Dumbledore is something most students never got the chance to do.

"Well, we'll start now then", Dumbledore said, getting off his chair.

"Here?" Harry asked confusingly.

Dumbledore merely chuckled at his question. Taking out his wand he whispered a few enchantments and the small area that they were in expanded until it was the size of a normal classroom. Continuing, he aimed his wand at his personal possessions, sending them to the side, to make a large circular empty space for the two.

He then erected a ward over the empty area. Harry was familiar with the ward from Ancient Runes. They hadn't actually done it in class, but he had read up on the theory. The ward was essentially a massive shield charm, which meant any spells hitting the ward would be absorbed by the shield, meaning no stray spells would go out and destroy Dumbledore's office. However, these were very taxing on energy, and Harry wondered how Dumbledore would be able to keep it up and train him at the same time. However, his thoughts were soon answered by Dumbledore, who summoned a small stone from his desk, laying it on the exterior off the ward. Harry recognised it as a rune stone, which would supplement the power of the ward. Harry just shook his head at the ingenuity of the headmaster.

"Well that seems good enough", Dumbledore said jovially. "Now how about we have a small duel so that I can test you."

Harry nodded eagerly, pulling his wand out from his robe.

"However, before we begin, how far are you with your spell knowledge?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Well sir, in defence I've finished the fifth year spells, but for most of my other subjects, I'm going through the fifth year course", Harry answered.

"Impressive", Dumbledore said. "Well to ensure fairness, I will not attempt any spells above the fifth year course." Harry nodded in reply.

"Well let's begin," the aged headmaster said.

Harry waited as Dumbledore hadn't made an attempt to do anything yet.

As quick as lightning, Dumbledore sent a stinging hex towards Harry, who didn't have any time to dodge, so he hastily erected a shield against it.

"INCENDIO", Harry shouted, trying to send a quick reply. Dumbledore merely batted it away against the ward which absorbed the charm.

"Is that seriously all you've got Harry? I'm quite disappointed", Dumbledore said, casually sending another hex his way, which Harry was able to dodge this time.

"_Aqua Erecto", _Harry shouted again. This was a spell he had learnt from the books in the room of requirement. However, if Dumbledore was surprised that he knew it, it didn't show on the headmaster's face.

A jet of water propelled at the headmaster, who swiftly turned his wand, causing the water to stop in mid-air. However, this time he didn't send away but shot it back at Harry. He wasn't as quick this time, and the water drenched him.

"Well Harry, if this is all you've been able to do with your training, then you really need to try harder", Dumbledore added calmly.

Harry spent the next ten minutes sending spells of various natures, mixing up transfiguration and charms together; nothing even coming close to hitting the headmaster, even as he sent them as fast as he could.

Harry was getting angry now, mostly at the headmaster's comments about his skills. He quickly sent a succession of devastating spells towards the headmaster. "BOMBARDA MAXIMA, CONFRINGO, DEPRIMO…" Spell after spell he shot, most missing Dumbledore in his anger. After the onslaught Harry looked forward only to see Dumbledore not there. Walking to the place, Dumbledore had been standing; he looked around confusingly for the headmaster.

"Stupefy" was all he heard, as a red spell impacted his back, and he fell towards the ground.

* * *

Harry woke up in the same place. Standing up he saw Dumbledore in front of him, the ward still surrounding them. "You beat me", Harry said dumbly.

Dumbledore chuckled once again. "I did Harry. But you put up quite the fight. Had I been any of the students in your year, and perhaps even the years above, you would have easily defeated me".

"Oh… but I thought you were disappointed in my training" Harry replied scathingly.

"I am not. Everything I said was false, but it was supposed to be a test"

"A test?" Harry asked.

"Yes, a test", Dumbledore reiterated. "Harry, you wear your heart on a sleeve, and while that is one of your most endearing qualities, it will get you seriously hurt in a fight," Dumbledore finished grimly.

"You mean, you said those things so I'd get angry", Harry said, realising what the headmaster had been trying to do.

"Exactly, and as you got angry, you started missing me. Your spells impacted the ward, which didn't hold on very long against them". Dumbledore pointed at the ward, and Harry looked closely, and saw for the first time, huge cracks in it, looking like it was on the point of breaking.  
Dumbledore smiled at Harry's expression. "Had it not been for that ward stone, and my power, your spells would have destroyed the ward and most of my office", Dumbledore, continued.

Harry smiled sheepishly at the statement. "Sorry sir"

"Not a problem at all Harry. In fact, it also showed me how much raw power you have, and for someone, your age is hugely impressive", Dumbledore added. "However, back to your problem. You need to know that what I said was nothing compared to what the Death Eaters will say if you were to ever face them. They will mock you, your parents' death, your friends… they do not care" Dumbledore said, looking slightly disgusted at the mention of the death eaters. "Fighting isn't only physical. If you have beaten your opponent emotionally, they will lose the fight."

"So what do I do?" Harry inquired.

"Don't express your feelings in a fight. I know it will be hard, but fighting angry is not a way to win a fight. You need to control them, and not show your opposition that they have gotten to you", Dumbledore responded. Continuing, he spoke; "Professor Snape is a very good example of being able to keep his feelings under control which makes him a very formidable duellist and fighter."

"I'll try my best" Harry added sincerely, brushing off the compliment about Snape.

"That's all I can ask" Dumbledore replied. Pointing his wand at the ward, he dissolved it and picked up the runestone. He took a seat at his desk before speaking, "Now Harry before I forget, the Weighing of the Wands is tomorrow."

"What's that sir?" Harry questioned.

"As a champion of the tournament, every member has to get their wand checked to see if it is in proper working order. We will be bringing Mr Ollivander, and you are to meet us before lunch. I will send someone to take you from your classes", he said finishing with a bow of his head, which Harry recognised as his dismissal.

Saying goodbye to his headmaster, he walked down the staircase to the corridor. He felt annoyed that he hadn't landed a single shot on the headmaster, but Dumbledore had been learning magic for more than a century, and he had only begun properly training two months ago. However, he knew that Dumbledore was only using a fraction of his full power, and could have easily beaten Harry in seconds.

However, he pushed that out of his head as he walked to his common room for the first time in weeks. Whispering the password to the Fat Lady, he was thankful that it hadn't changed in the last few weeks. Since it was after curfew, the common room was mostly empty, except for the older years. However, he didn't have eyes for anyone except the bushy-haired girl sitting and doing her homework by the fireplace.

"So you'd sink this low Hermione," he said softly, not noticing others straining their ears to hear the Gryffindor champion's conversation. Ignoring her look of surprise, he continued, "You went and tattled to McGonagall because I wasn't staying here" he scathed, his voice a harsh whisper.

She took a few seconds to compose herself at the intrusion, but replied in the same tone, "Well where have you been then? Professor McGonagall is our head of house and deserves to know when people aren't staying-"

"Bullshit!" Harry interrupted, his teeth clenched. "How does it matter where I've been? You've made it clear we're not friends anymore, so where I reside is of no matter to you", he shot back.

"Because it is a concern to me when you're up to something dangerous and dark, so Professor McGonagall deserves to know" she retorted.

"No Hermione. You try and make it your concern" he said. "Listen here… you're not the boss of me. You don't get to decide what I'm up to, and you sure as hell can't demand me to tell you things." Not bothering to hear her response, he turned on his heel and walked up to his dormitory.

His moment of peace was ruined, with Ron stomping through the room, his face, a similar shade to his hair. "What did you say to her?" he shouted.

"I told her the truth Ron, and our conversation is between her and me, so don't get involved", he replied threateningly but kept his voice neutral.

"Well when you've pissed off my friend, then it makes me involved" Ron retorted.

"I am really getting sick of you guys wanting to get involved with me so much," Harry said, stepping closer to Ron. "You better leave me alone", Harry said, his voice sharp and harsh.

He walked to his bed, and before shutting the curtains of his four-poster bed, he looked to the redhead who was still standing. "Next time one of you tries to interfere with my life, it'll be my wand that you'll be speaking to" he spoke, and closed the curtain before he could see the fearful shiver that ran through Ron

* * *

Finishing his dinner, he walked towards his bedroom. His master didn't like to be kept waiting, even if he had to talk through a third party. He didn't understand why his master insisted on him working with Barty Crouch, especially with their history, but he could never question it.

Placing the floo power into his fireplace, he put his head through, calling for Riddle Manor. The rat answered, "What news do you have", Pettigrew spoke contemptuously. He wanted to slap the look out of the rat's face. Ever since the rat had found his master, he began to think he was better than everyone.

Sighing the figure replied, "The plan has been put in place. I've put the boy in and smeared the blood as the master wished. The old fool put Crouch in charge of searching the Goblet for tampering so our cover will not be blown" he answered, relaying all the events.

Pettigrew moved away from the fire, and the figure knew he had gone to tell his master about the news. The rat came back after a few minutes, "The Dark Lord is pleased with the progress that the pair of you have made. He says he wants you to continue playing your role. That is all" the rat finished.

Moving away from the fireplace, Pettigrew spoke again, "He also warns you to not fail him again… Karkaroff."

* * *

**There we go. Another chapter is done. Now, as usual, I'd like to address things here. I hope no one gets upset that Harry isn't already some super powerful deity who could take down Dumbledore. But no, Dumbledore could kick Harry's arse easily at this moment, but remember his training has only started.**

**Next Chapter, some more Sirius for all of you fans who love him. Also, I'd just like to make another thank you for your response to the last chapter. Your reviews and follows mean everything, so please continue to keep those up because they're really helpful. **

**So once again the gist is to just keep reviewing because you guys are great!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ancient Runes was always a commotion. Professor Babbling never really was much of a disciplinarian so the class usually got away with talking, but they still managed to get their work done. For many students it was their hardest class because they had to constantly learn new languages, and since the class was ancient, so were the dialects. That meant that they had to translate non-Latin languages which used completely different alphabets to what they were used to. However, all the talking meant that it was usually a good class for private conversations which meant Tracey could finally find out what her best friend was up to.

"Sooo… Harry-" she asked.

"Sooo Tracey?" Harry replied, looking up confusingly from his work.

Not one to ever beat around the bush, she asked, "So what's the deal between you and Daphne?"

"Huh… Daphne?" he said spluttering.

"Is that the only part of the question you heard?" Tracey asked mischievously.

"What, no!" he said firmly. "It's just a random question while we're translating runes."

"Hmm… avoiding the question I see," Tracey replied; dramatically rubbing her chin.

"I am not."

"Are too," Tracey replied, sticking out her tongue.

"Fine" he said. "So, what is it that you need to know about Daphne and myself?" he sighed.

"Well Mr Potter" she said in a professor-like manner, "I want to know what your intentions are with my best friend"

"Uh… intentions?" he replied flustered. "I don't have any intentions," he said honestly.

"Wait… so when Daphne said that you guys train… that's all you guys actually do?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he said, getting back to his work.

"So, you guys are just boring then," she huffed. "That's really all you do?"

"Well sometimes we talk after training, but that's usually just a few minutes. Plus, we can't hang around much in public because I don't want to give Malfoy anymore reasons to annoy her" he replied genuinely.

Tracey's next question was interrupted by a knock on the door. Professor Babbling opened the door to a younger student who promptly handed her a note and walked off. "Mr Potter-" Babbling said. "You have to go to the charms classroom now. Finish the translations for homework" she finished.

Harry nodded back to the professor and started packing his work. "What's that all about" Tracey asked, as Harry stood up.

"Oh that… it's for the weighing of the wands," Harry replied.

"Eww… is that some male chauvinistic thing" Tracey asked, scrunching her face in disgust.

Harry burst out laughing at this, causing the rest of the students to stare at him. Hermione just gave him an annoyed glare, obviously still angry after he told her off. "Nothing like that" he said still chuckling. "Just something for the tournament… anyway I got to go" he finished, leaving the classroom.

* * *

He walked down to the third-floor corridor, entering the charms classroom as asked. He was the last champion to enter, with the other three already sitting down as Dumbledore talked to them. The tables had been pushed into the corner to create an empty space in the middle.

"Ahh Harry" the headmaster said jovially. "We can now get on with the proceedings"

Harry nodded at the headmaster in response. Other than the champions, the respective headmasters from each school were also there. Madame Maxine still had a haughty expression as she looked at him, something that was mirrored by her student, Fleur Delacour. Krum had a neutral expression, almost looking bored at being in the room, yet Karkaroff glared at him, obviously still believing he must have cheated in the tournament. Cedric gave him a wave as he entered.

Mr. Ollivander was also in the room, as Dumbledore had said the night before. The aged wandmaker stood in the corner, his sharp grey eyes looking over the champions. He offered Harry a small smile when they made eye contact. The next person Harry laid eyes on could give Dumbledore a run for his galleons with the way she was dressed. She wore bright magenta robes, which matched her lipstick. Her nails were painted neon green, perfectly manicured, while a notebook and pen floated next to her. Behind her stood a photographer, with a device Harry had seen muggles use in the early 1900s. She was obviously a reporter and had a predatorial look as she stalked him with her eyes.

Before Dumbledore could continue, the reporter beat him to the punch. "Mr Potter, what a delight it is to see you in person", the woman said, sticking her hand out.

Harry shook her hand, "Um thanks… and you are?"

"Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet's number one reporter" she said proudly.

Harry pulled his hand back as fast as possible, "You're Rita Skeeter" he said, venom in his voice.

"Oh, you've heard of me, have you?"

"You wrote that article about me becoming champion" he said, seething.

"Well obviously my dear. The viewers need to know the truth-"

"That wasn't the truth," Harry cut her off, his voice getting louder as he pressed on. "That was just slander where you ridiculed me and made me out to be a cheat."

"Oh, I see. So how did that make you feel?" she said inquisitively, her notebook starting to write. "Angry? Afraid? Perhaps this is a way for you to show your parents-"

Her questions were cut off as Harry grabbed the notebook away, about to burn it.

"Harry that's enough," Dumbledore said, ending the argument. Turning to the reporter, he continued "Miss Skeeter, perhaps it would be best if you were not here for the ceremony."

"Well headmaster, I cannot do that. The viewers need to know everything, and I am the medium that provides them with the knowledge. There is also something called freedom of press, and you cannot stop me from writing or being here."

"Very well Ms Skeeter. However, I daresay that Mr Potter here won't provide you with any interviews and it would be best if you didn't harass him. He is a champion after all," Dumbledore said, a very slight tension in his voice, but clear enough for the reporter to understand. Harry ripped up the offending pages of the notebook, before handing it back to the reporter, who sent a glare towards him.

"Now, let's get on" the headmaster said. "Garrick if you will,'' Dumbledore, said passing the attention to the wandmaker.

"Now I shall be testing your wands to make sure they are in good working condition for the tournament. I'll do this with each champion privately as I believe the secrets between a wand and its master must be kept."

The wandmaker proceeded to take each champion to the side room, often lasting ten minutes. Between that time, Harry watched as Skeeter talked to the remaining champions quietly for interviews and photos, and from the looks of things, she seemed to be asking questions about him.

He was the last to get called and walked into the side room, the wandmaker already seated. Harry took the chair opposite him. Ollivander remained quiet for a few moments, before speaking. "Mr Potter, may I see your wand please."

Harry reached into his robes and passed his wand. Ollivander took the wand, holding it as one would hold their child. He seemed to murmur something to himself, indistinguishable to Harry. The wandmaker then put the wand to his ear, his eyebrows raising slightly as he did so. Finally, he said a spell, conjuring a small glass bowl before handing it back to Harry.

"Well Mr Potter, it seems as changes have gone afoot in this wand," Ollivander spoke.

"What do you mean?" Harry said worriedly.

"Mr Potter, would you say anything is different about you this year. Anything large or small… changes inside you," Ollivander replied, his grey eyes probing Harry.

"Um… not really I suppose," at Ollivander's raised eyebrow, Harry thought hard again. "Well… I guess I have been focused more on my studies and have been training a lot more with magic for the tournament," he finally said.

"Well it would explain some of the changes in the composition of your wand," Ollivander said, more to himself than Harry.

"I don't really understand what you mean Mr Ollivander"

"That wand there Mr Potter is the same wand I gave you three years ago when you walked into my shop. The materials of holly and phoenix feather still make up the wand, but as I said to you many years ago, the wand chooses the wizard. Now, it is not unknown for a wand to usually change when it's owner changes to match their preferences. Often, owners need a new wand-"

Harry made to interrupt at this, but the wandmaker continued. "However, this has not happened for you, and in your rare case, your wand has changed to suit you. Now Ms Skeeter, abrasive as she is, may have been onto something earlier today. She asked if you were angry, and although you didn't reply, actions speak louder than words. I can only imagine the anger you've had at being thrust into a tournament without your choosing. Now this is where it becomes interesting. Holly as a wood is quite rare in wands. However, it works most happily for those who may need help overcoming anger or impetuosity".

Harry knew that was true, he was angrier this year, but he had always been impulsive, so holly seemed to match him. The wandmaker continued, seemingly excited at getting to explain wand lore to Harry.

"Now then, since there has been this change, through no fault of your own, your wand seems to match you better in fact than it did three years ago."

"So, if it matches me more, does it mean I am powerful?" Harry asked.

Ollivander chuckled at this. "No Mr Potter, it does not make you more powerful. However, when a wizard or witch is more in tune with their wands, magic subsequently becomes easier to learn and understand, perhaps a reason why you have been able to learn new spells at such a rate."

It made sense to Harry. Yes, he had been training harder than usual, but whenever he was learning a new spell by himself or with Daphne, he picked it up faster than previous years.

"But that is not all. Your core is phoenix feather, one from Dumbledore's phoenix in fact. A phoenix feather is by far the most versatile core, by which I mean it is suited to most branches of magic, which is why the Dark Lord which who you share a core with, is powerful in multiple areas of magic. But going on from that, a phoenix wand is very hard to tame. Wizards have gone their whole lives without reaching the full potential of a phoenix wand, yet here you are, fourteen and have managed to do it."

"How do you think I did it?" Harry asked.

"That question has multiple answers, each very different. But if I were to wager a guess, it would be from your greater discipline. You seem to be training harder and focusing more on your studies. This shows discipline, and it is my belief that you were able to tame your wand due to this."

The wandmaker seemed done with his monologue. Harry sat pensively, thinking about all he was told. Thanking the wandmaker for his analysis, he walked back to the charms classroom where everyone had left except Dumbledore, who was reading a first-year charms book a student must have been left behind.

"Enjoying yourself sir?" Harry asked amusedly.

"Immensely", Dumbledore replied. "Miranda Goshawk is quite a good friend of mine and I do enjoy her descriptions of spells" the headmaster said, putting down the book. "Did you have an interesting talk with Garrick?"

"Immensely," Harry said, repeating the headmaster's words back to him who laughed in response.

"I shall not pry, because as Mr Ollivander has said, the wand's secrets should remain between the wand and wizard, but could I guess that he said that something about your wand has changed?"

Harry nodded in response, "I thought as much,'' Dumbledore said.

"Sir, how does one even learn wand lore, because you seem to have a grasp of it."

"You may think that Harry, but I am also quiet clueless when it comes to the intricacies of wands. You see, books may teach you some knowledge, but the real secrets have been passed down families which is why there are very few wandmakers in the world. Garrick would have learnt the trade from his own father, and so on. However, it is still a fascinating read, once you wrap your head around the topics," Dumbledore said.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I did promise Garrick I'd take him out for lunch", the headmaster said, walking to the room where Ollivander was.

Harry left the charms classroom deep in thought. Had his personality changed? He didn't want to think so, but what Ollivander had said made sense. In fact, Hermione and Ron had been right when they said that he had changed this year, but not in the way they were thinking. This year he had finally thought of himself, and working to his best, and disciplined himself as Ollivander had said. But he knew it was for the better. He had never felt so good about himself before this and was happy with the results. Ron and Hermione believed he was doing something dark or nefarious, but he'd show them.

* * *

"Wow another hot date," Fred winked as Harry got up from the couch to go to the room of requirement.

He had been helping the twins come up with products to test. So far, they had thought of different types of sweets to give you an excuse to leave class, but the sweets to make you turn blue for a few minutes was Harry's personal favourite. Harry knew the twins' dream was to open a shop for their products, but they didn't have enough money. He wanted to help them, but they would never accept his own money.

"Ahh Harry… third time this week, give that girl a break," George said, his smirk matching his brothers'.

"You guys always seem to be harassing me about Daphne, yet I don't see either of you going for dates with any girls," Harry retorted jokingly.

"Well that's where you're wrong young Harry," Fred said. "Just last week, I explored a broom closet with Ms Chloe Alton."

"At least you had a fun time," George sighed. "Her friend was so boring… rather have gone on a date with Snape," causing Harry to laugh and grimace at the thought.

"Wait… but don't one of you like Angelina, and the other like Alicia?" Harry asked inquisitively. At the twins blush, he roared with laughter.

"So…" Harry continued, finding it hard to talk between laughs, "You guys both have crushes on two girls, and instead of going for them, you spend time with other girls who you barely like."

"Ha-ha…," George said sarcastically. "We don't have crushes on them. We were just waiting for them to make a move."

"Oh… so you don't mind me going over to them now and telling them to ask you guys out," Harry said mischievously, pointing to the girls, who were also sitting with Katie Bell in the corner.

"You do that Potter, and I'll cut off the thing that makes you a man" George said threateningly.

"Sure, you will," Harry replied cockily. Walking to the trio of girls, he whispered something, before pointing to the twins. The girls nodded in response.

Harry walked back to the twins who had both managed to turn the same shade of red. "What did you say," Fred seethed.

"Well Freddie, I told the girls that you guys needed help with your homework. So they've agreed to come over in a bit and help you."

"Harry Potter. Boy-Who-Lived and matchmaker extraordinaire," George said proudly, causing Harry to laugh.

"I'm going to go now. Tell me guys later if you chickened out", he smirked before making his way out the common room. He walked to the room of requirement and saw that Daphne had already arrived; shooting spells mercilessly at a training dummy.

They started their session the same way they always did, with a duel. Daphne had yet to beat him, but in all fairness, he was training for his life. After the duel, they would work on a spell together, or Harry would teach her something new.

* * *

"Wow, good lesson," Daphne said, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. She made her way to the door, but before she could leave, Harry tried to summon his Gryffindor courage.

"So, Tracey talked to me today," he said, getting immediately amused at her reaction towards Tracey's name.

"And?"

"Well, she wanted to know if anything was going on between us," Harry chuckled.

"Ugh… I'm going to kill her," Daphne muttered under her breath.

"I told her nothing was going on, and she said we were boring."

"Yeah, she told me the same thing last week," Daphne replied.

"Well…" Harry said, "I still think we could get to know more about each other. I mean we've been meeting up for a month, but I still don't know anything about you."

Daphne remained quiet for a few seconds, and suddenly two chairs appeared, facing each other. Sitting on one of them, she said, "Well come on then. Let's find out the myth behind Harry Potter," she smirked.

Harry smiled in response and took the chair opposite to her. They spent the next hour asking questions between themselves. They talked about everything from their favourite colours to their favourite Quidditch teams, and everything in-between. He even learnt that she knew quite a bit about muggle inventions because of Tracey's Muggle-born mother. He was glad that she didn't try to press about his past adventures, understanding that he would tell her in due time.

"Well, I know you may not want to answer this question, but why do you wear such overgrown muggle clothes. Is it some type of new muggle fashion?" she asked confusedly.

Harry felt like he just got punched in the stomach. He knew this question would lead to the Dursley's and he could not tell her about his home life. Even Hermione and Ron had barely scratched the surface of his life before Hogwarts. No one knew about the cupboard under the stairs and he was too embarrassed to ever reveal that.

"Harry are you ok?" Daphne asked worriedly, pushing him out of his reverie as he realised that he had stayed silent for a minute.

Stammering a bit before he answered, "It's not some new fashion. I only have muggle relatives left and the ones I live with aren't very wealthy, and so they give me my cousin's old clothes. He's also bigger than me so that's why they are loose on me." It was a blatant lie, but he wasn't going to say that the Dursley's had never bought him clothes.

"But that doesn't explain why you don't buy clothes for yourself. The Potters are really affluent."

"Excuse me?" Harry said.

"Harry have you ever wondered why when Draco makes fun of Weasley's wealth, he's never mentioned anything about your clothes in public?"

"Wait you're right," Harry figured, knowing that Malfoy would use any chance to make fun of him in public.

"That's because the Potters have a huge amount of wealth. Obviously, I don't know the actual figures, but all purebloods are taught about the different houses, and yours is one of the biggest. It may be around the same size as the Malfoy fortune, and they're one of the richest families in Britain. You seriously didn't know this?"

"No, I didn't," Harry replied shocked. "I mean I knew I had some money left by my parents. Hagrid took me into my vault the first time to get money for supplies."

"Harry that must have been a trust vault left by your parents. If it was your actual vault, Hagrid wouldn't have been able to enter or even get close to it. Family vaults can be only accessed by people with Potter blood or those who have been married into the family."

"So, you're saying, somewhere in Gringotts, I have a bigger vault just filled with money?"

"Money, books, weapons, jewellery... anything valuable is probably stored in that vault."

"I don't understand why I haven't heard about any of this," Harry said, disappointed that Dumbledore had never mentioned any of this to him.

"Well it doesn't really matter because you can't access any of it until you've turned 17 and are of age."

"I guess. I just wish I knew more about it. I've been in the magical world for almost four years and I still feel like I don't know anything."

The sad expression on his face, gave her a strange urge to hug him, but she ignored it. "Look Harry. Once the first task finishes next week, and you have more time to prepare for the second task, I'll help you understand everything about the Wizarding world. But you have to also promise me that you will buy some better clothes now."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. You've helped me so much in training, I owe you this," she smiled.

"Thanks Daphne, and yeah next Hogsmeade trip, I'll pick up some stuff".

Casting a quick tempus charm, she quickly got up.

"Crap, it's an hour after curfew," Daphne said frantically. "Merlin, I'm so screwed."

"It's fine. People in Gryffindor always come after curfew and no one says anything, as long as they're not caught by a teacher."

"No, that's not how it works in Slytherin. Malfoy already thinks there's something going on with us, and if he tells the rest of the house, people will hate me. No offence, but to most Slytherins you are undesirable number one," she said solemnly.

"So, if you show up right now-"

"If I show up right now, Malfoy will definitely be awake. The stupid ferret always stays up late. He'll see me walk through, and the next thing I know, my life will be hell.

"Ok, I can help you," Harry said an idea coming to his head.

"How can you possibly help me right now?"

"Well I'm obviously going to get you to the Slytherin common room unseen and then I'll walk out," he grinned.

"I don't know whether to slap you for your stupidity or take you to Madam Pomfrey to get your head checked out" she said exasperatingly.

"Oh right, I forgot this," he said, pulling out his invisibility cloak from his robe pockets.

Daphne eyes widened as she saw the cloak. "Ok… so what's the plan?"

* * *

"So how exactly do you know where the Slytherin common room is?" Daphne inquired, as they made the descent to the dungeons.

"That's a story for another time," Harry smirked. Quickly he became quiet as a prefect passed them in a corridor, oblivious to the two teenagers.

"This cloak is seriously amazing. Where did you get it?" Daphne whispered once the prefect had gotten out of range.

"It was my Dad's" he said simply, focused on guiding them through the dark, and trying not to focus on the proximity of Daphne to him. His growth after the summer meant that the cloak was tighter. So, he was trying not to pay much attention on the feeling of Daphne's breath on his neck every time she talked.

They soon reached the dungeons and walked towards the bare wall. "Ok you remember the plan, right?" Harry asked.

Daphne nodded her head in confirmation. Whispering the password (Salazar) they quickly walked into the room. As quick as lightning, Harry shot a spell at the closest table, causing it to fall and cause a commotion. Those in the room all looked towards the fallen table and no one had paid attention to their common room door seemingly opening and no one coming through. The door closed, and no one was any wiser.

"Dumb table," a sixth year said, sending a quick 'reparo' spell towards it.

Giving Daphne a thumbs up under the cloak, they walked up towards the girls dormitory. Harry was surprised how easy it was for anyone to get up here, which must make it easy for people to have relationships. They walked up to the fourth-year girls dormitory, Daphne taking the cloak of herself once reached.

"Ok, I'll walk down there now to make my appearance," Daphne whispered. Harry followed behind her as she went back into the common room.

She pretended to search for a book in the common room. "Greengrass! Where did you come from?" Draco scolded, coming up behind her.

"Well, Draco. If you had eyes, you'd know that I came from the girl dormitories," Daphne replied sardonically. Harry fought the urge to laugh at Draco's confused look.

"That makes no sense. Pansy said you weren't in the room," he said.

"Perhaps Pansy also suffers from poor eyesight like you. Or maybe she was engrossed in herself as usual and didn't notice me. But the greater question, is why you needed to know about my whereabouts."

Malfoy's face became redder in anger, but he didn't say anything, and stomped off to the boys dormitory. Daphne smiled to herself and walked back up to her room.

Harry looked around at the last stragglers in the common room and laughed internally as he shot another spell to the same table, causing it to fall again, and slipped out the Slytherin common room.

Reaching his common room, where everyone was already fast asleep; the snores of Ron loudly penetrating the room. Moving to his bed, he heard a small bark, and turned to the window to see a small owl there with a note clutched in his beak. He didn't recognise the small tawny brown owl, but it was the most common magical owl in England.

Taking the note, he fed the owl some of Hedwig's treats before sending it off. Opening the short note, he couldn't help but smile.

_Harry,_

_Hogsmeade, same place. 11pm tomorrow. _

_Padfoot_

* * *

Harry realised he needed his sleep. All these nights of training, and now a late meeting with his Godfather. However, seeing Sirius was worth it, the man just knew how to make him feel better. But after this, he needed a solid day of sleep. He almost dozed off in charms today, if it weren't for Seamus Finnigan blowing up his desk. But thankfully it was the weekend tomorrow, and he deserved a good lie in.

He got to the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor on the third floor, whispering 'dissendium' under his cloak before going through. The walk to Honeydukes was much harder than it had been in his third year, with him having to crouch most of the way. He entered the cellar and thanked whatever deity for the door to the main shop being open. Getting into the main area of the sweet shop, he looked through the window to make sure the street was empty.

He whispered 'alohomora' the unlocking charm, but the door didn't budge. He cringed at himself for thinking that the shop owner would make it that easy. Thinking quickly, he used another spell that he had learned weeks prior.

"_Patentibus," _he said, pointing his wand to the door. Thankfully the door opened, and he quickly went onto the street, locking the door behind him. He had learnt the spell from a very old charms book. It was the more complex version of the alohomora charm and worked on most locked doors except for those that were warded.

However, he realised as he walked towards the shrieking shack, why there were no tamper alarms in the shop. Then he remembered Hermione mentioning last year, that all the items in every shop had spells on them to avoid stealing, so the owners probably put an alert charm if he had tried to touch any of the sweets.

* * *

"Padfoot," Harry said happily, engulfing his godfather in a hug.

"Harry, great to see you again!" Sirius exclaimed

"You know, it is certainly weird to be here when I am not a werewolf," a figure in the shadows said.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry said excitedly. The werewolf chuckled at his excitement and pulled him into a hug.

"No need to call me that anymore. Remus is fine, or Moony if you prefer."

"What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked.

"Perhaps you could answer that question for us Harry," Sirius said. "I leave you alone for ten seconds and you somehow get yourself into one of the most dangerous Wizarding tournaments in the world" he smirked.

"As Sirius here put it so eloquently, our main purpose here is because we're worried and want to know if you're good. Padfoot and I have been doing jobs for Dumbledore, and since Sirius is a wanted man we don't go out during daylight, and we're constantly moving," Remus said wearily. "We only met Dumbledore two days ago and it was only then that we heard about your participation"

"What jobs?" Harry inquired.

"Moony and I have been tasked with gathering some people for Dumbledore's anti-Voldemort club. Unfortunately, he also gave Snape the same job and if it weren't for Moony here, I would have cursed the slimy bastard a million times by now," Sirius replied.

"And what did Dumbledore tell you guys?" Harry inquired worriedly.

"He told us everything Harry… the crow's blood and everything else."

Harry nodded in response, glad at least that he didn't have to explain it all. It still made him sick to his stomach thinking about it.

"So, it's in a few days then… are you ready?" Padfoot asked, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"Well I've been training as much I can. I still don't even know if what I'm doing is right or what I'm up against."

"Well… if it's any conciliation, the other champions don't know it either. Dumbledore himself doesn't know. He and the other heads only get informed by Crouch on the day," Remus said.

"I guess that's good, but they're seventh years. Cedric is head boy, so he's probably super talented. How can I stand a chance against them?"

"Of course, you'll stand a chance against them," Sirius said firmly. "Champions they may be, but none of them would be able to drive away hundreds of dementors at the age of thirteen with a spell that the majority of the population can't perform."  
"Harry you're the strongest person I know, and I don't say this as your godfather, but someone who's grown up with some of the most powerful wizards of their time. Your problem is that you don't understand your worth, and once you do, you'll be able to reach heights that Dumbledore would struggle with," Sirius finished.

"He's right Harry," Remus added. "We both grew up with your parents, and if James was your age and you dueled him, you'd beat his massive ego into the ground. And that's saying something because James was one of the best fighters there were. He learnt from his dad, who was the head of DMLE."

"And what about my mum?" Harry said, his worries fading as he heard stories about his parents. That always relaxed him.

Sirius chuckled at this. "Well the only time I saw your mum duel your dad was in fourth year, after he had convinced the portraits to serenade her with love songs. Everywhere she went, a portrait would sing a love poem for her," Sirius said, tears in his eyes as he recalled the memory.

The rest of the night went like that, with his father's best friends telling him as many stories as they could about his parents. He learnt about their legendary fights, and how they fell in love. Sleep was completely forgotten, as the hours slipped by, and the first cracks of dawn streamed through the room.

"Merlin," Remus said looking at his watch. "It's 6am; the hours really passed by," he said.

"Yeah, Harry and we kept you up for enough time. It's time for you to go to bed," Sirius said, as he saw his godson fail to stifle a yawn. "Filch would have opened the gates by now, so you don't have to go through the passageway."

"And Harry," Sirius said as the boy walked towards the door, "You've got this."

* * *

Harry realised as Cedric walked away, that he never got good news.

There were two days before the first talk, and he had just finished dinner when Cedric had stopped him on the stairs. The head boy took him into an empty room, before talking.

"Dragons Harry. It's bloody dragons," Cedric said, pacing the room up and down.

"Wait… you mean… that the first task is fighting a dragon," Harry asked, his blood turning cold.

"I don't know…. But it has something to do with a damn dragon."

"How the hell did you find out about this. I thought none of the headmasters knew anything."

"It wasn't Dumbledore or anything. It was Moody" Cedric said.

"Moody? How the hell would he know," Harry asked.

"No idea, but I was there last week in DADA, and he said he wanted to have a chat, but that's nothing unusual. Since I became a champion, he checks on me to see how I'm doing." Harry wasn't surprised by this, since the professor did it with him too.

"But then he mentioned the dragons by mistake when asking how I felt about the task. I didn't think he even noticed he said it until he saw my face. He quickly sent me out and muttered about how Hagrid shouldn't have told him."

"But… you believe him," Harry said.

"I mean… I have no choice but to believe it. It doesn't seem like something he'd randomly mention... Anyway, I've got to go," he said quickly, before exiting the room, leaving a scared Harry behind.

_Dragons… fucking dragons. From all the possible things to do, you find a way to push me into an early grave. Voldemort must be ecstatic._

Nope. Harry just never seemed to get good news.

* * *

**There we go. Another chapter complete. Got some more Sirius in there and a nice big Harry/Daphne portion in there too. Not much to say here, except hope you guys enjoy.**

**And of course please follow, fav, review. **

**Especially review, I live for your feedback, and thanks to everyone for the compliments. They mean a lot.**

**See you next time folks.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

There was no point anymore. Trying to sleep would be a fruitless endeavor. The news that Cedric had given him yesterday played over in his head non-stop and every time he closed his eyes, he saw dragons in his head. He blamed muggle television for some of the thoughts. Growing up with Dudley, he had seen multiple movies with fire breathing dragons that destroyed entire villages with one puff. They weren't the most pleasant things to think about when he had to face an actual one tomorrow. Sighing loudly, he looked at the clock on his bedside table. It was 6 am, but it was also a Sunday so no one in their right mind would be awake. The task was tomorrow, and he had nothing planned for a dragon.

He needed help. He wasn't arrogant enough to think that he could solve this problem by himself and there was only one person who could possibly help him. He needed Daphne right now. She usually had knowledge about obscure subjects, and she could keep a level head when thinking about the problem. He chuckled to himself thinking about his ex-friends would approach the issue.

Ron would have just said something like _'bloody hell mate. That's tough'. _Ron was usually more of a burden in those situations, preferring to just interject with unhelpful points and sometimes even make the task more daunting. Hermione would have been more helpful towards the task, but her incessant worrying and doubt would mean Harry would have to help her out.

_How do I get to Daphne? What time does she even get up on a weekend, and even then, how do I get her attention in public. _These questions and more ran through his head as he got ready. It's wasn't that he couldn't figure out the research by himself, but he had seen through their training how she was able provide more logic to situations. Plus two minds were better than one, especially in this case.

Getting down to the Gryffindors common room, he walked towards the Great Hall. Entering the hall, he looked around. There were only a handful of students, and no sign of Daphne on the Slytherin table. Cursing his luck, he sat down, piling food onto his plate.

As he finished his last toast, he was joined by another classmate.

"Hey Harry," Neville Longbottom said, sitting opposite him.

"Hey Neville," Harry replied, surprised that the usual shy boy had engaged in a conversation with him. "You're up early"

"Bad habit I guess. During the summer, I'm used to waking up early to take care of the plants in our greenhouses. Many can only be tended to during the early sunlight," he replied informatively.

"Wow, you own multiple greenhouses?" Harry asked.

"Well we have to. Majority of the Longbottom fortune comes from supplying our plants to different shops and even St Mungo's. I've been learning about plants since I was a child which is why Herbology comes easy to me," Neville replied, a hint of pride in his voice. "So, how are you feeling about tomorrow?"

"A bit nervous, but you know… just hoping for the best,"

"So, you have no idea what's going on then?"

"Not a clue," Harry lied. He wasn't going to burden Neville with the information and wasn't sure how much he could trust him. He felt a pang of guilt at that. He had never attempted to make a closer acquaintance with the boy in all his years. He needed to rectify that, and even enlarge his friends circle. He couldn't believe that the first three years, he only hung around with two people.

Neville must have sensed the slight tone in his voice, because he replied, "Look Harry… I know this is beyond late to say this… but I just want to say that I always believed that you didn't put your name in the cup. I was just afraid of drawing attention to myself", he said ashamedly.

"You… you believe me?" Harry said, glad to have another person by his side.

"Never had a reason to doubt you. It's just not who you are."

Harry just gave him a bright smile in response. If Neville, a person he had barely talked to could see it, why couldn't Ron and Hermione have. Pushing the thought of them out his head, he continued to talk with Neville, happy to get to know someone else.

A streak of blonde walking through the hall stopped the conversation. Daphne was finally here, walking with Tracey towards the Slytherin table. _But how do I get her attention? _

"Listen Neville… I've got to go do some training for preparation tomorrow. But its been great to talk to you," Harry said, an idea forming in his head.

"You too Harry. And you'll do great tomorrow."

Saying a final goodbye, he quickly walked out of the Great Hall, and went into the closest classroom. Closing the door behind him, he called out, "Dobby!"

The excited elf appeared within a second, bouncing on the balls of his feet at being called.

"Listen Dobby, sorry to disturb you, but could you pop to my trunk and get me my invisibility cloak, a quill and a piece of parchment?" Harry asked.

"Of course. Anything for the Great Harry Potter sir," Dobby said, disapparating away. Harry laughed to himself at the seemingly longer title the elf had given him. Sometimes he wondered if it would be more prudent to get himself his own house elf. They were fiercely loyal creatures and could be a great asset to him.

The elf came back in a minute with the required items. Writing a note onto the parchment, he quickly sealed it with his wand, and got under his cloak. Walking back into the Great Hall, he spotted her at the end, glad that no one except Tracey was near her. However, since it was the weekend, she wasn't in her robes, but instead a form fitting sweater and some jeans, which meant no big pockets to stick the note in.

Knowing it was risky to do, he tapped the table softly in front of her, before throwing the note on her plate, hearing Tracey make a small shriek. Quickly walking away, he hoped no one else had just seen a stray hand popping out with no body.

* * *

"So is your boyfriend prepared for the task tomorrow," Tracey asked, snickering at Daphne's annoyed glare at her saying 'boyfriend'.

Sighing Daphne replied, "I think so. But prepared for what? You do all this training, but he has no idea what for."

"Yeah, I get what you mean. Little Draco must be ecstatic. Can't believe the bastard is-AHH!" Tracey said out loud, as a hand shot out. "What the utter hell…" she said going pale, "since when do ghosts look so solid."

"That wasn't a ghost," Daphne laughed, but quickly became serious after seeing the note.

_Daphne,_

_When you're done with breakfast, would it be possible for you to meet me on the seventh floor._

She passed the note to Tracey who was trying to read it over her shoulder. "Ever heard of privacy," Daphne said bemusedly.

"When it comes to you… no," Tracey said. "Ooo a weekend meetup. Maybe he needs some motivation for tomorrow. Perhaps some light snogging followed by some wandering hands..." she winked.

"Oh, will you shut up. I better go and meet him. He wouldn't have gone through all of that for something small," she said, getting up.

"Wow… so some boy calls and there you go and leave your best friend to eat her breakfast by herself," Tracey said jokingly, to which Daphne replied very maturely by sticking her tongue out at her.

She quickly reached the bare wall on the seventh floor. Walking in she saw piles of bookcases, and Harry was sitting in the middle; multiple books open in front of him.

"Someone's busy," she said, asking the room for a chair.

Harry looked up, glad to see that she had come. But as fast as that emotion came, it was replaced with worry once again.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she said.

"Well, what isn't wrong?" At her confused look, he continued, "Dragons… the first task is a bloody dragon," he replied.

"Wait… you're going to have to offer some explanation for this."

Harry proceeded to tell her about his meeting with Cedric the previous day and how Moody had let it slip.

"That's… interesting" Daphne said pensively.

"Interesting?"

"It's almost Slytherin of Diggory. I'm quite proud actually."

"You are really confusing me," Harry replied.

"Ok… so you said that Moody told him last week." Continuing at Harry's nod, "Yet he waited to tell you yesterday, and only gave you a day to prepare for it."

"Yeah, I guess… but he was probably busy with figuring out the task, and only remembered about telling me later," Harry said, trying to defend the Hogwarts champion.

"That is a possibility. But perhaps it's the Slytherin in me to see it differently. By telling you… he's put you in his debt, and so if you were to ever find out something about the tournament, you'd go out and tell him."

"I don't know, but I can worry about that later," Harry answered.

"Yeah… but what's more interesting is what you told me about Moody."

"What do you mean?"

"Well this is Alastor Moody we're talking about. Arguably one of the best ex-aurors out there, the man who has caught countless death eaters. He must be used to keeping secrets, yet he divulged that the tasks were dragons," Daphne finished.

"So, you think Moody purposely told Cedric about the dragons," Harry replied in understanding.

"Well apparently cheating has always been part of this tournament. I bet you Krum and Delacour know what the tasks are as well."

"Yeah, but why did Moody tell Cedric, and not me?" Harry inquired.

"Well that's too risky. Of course, he could play it off by saying he accidentally spilled it to one student, but two is too obvious," she replied.

"I guess, but right now, it doesn't matter. Dragons… a frickin dragons. What the hell am I going to do for preparation a day before."

"Look Harry, dragons may be the task, but there is no way they expect you to fight one. My family and I once went to a dragon reserve in Germany, and it took twenty handlers to stun the dragon," she answered.

"Ok fine… I may not need to fight one, but I must deal with one. Worst of all, these books are not helpful. All they say is precautionary warnings, like running away as fast as possible without getting detected," he sighed.

"Any weak spots?" she asked.

"Most of the body is impenetrable to spells… except the eyes, but I'd need to get close enough to shoot it in the eyes," he replied.

"Ok… so maybe that's how you distract it…"

They spent the next few hours skimming through every book the room had on dragons, with Harry getting more frustrated as they couldn't find any other solutions. No one fought dragons, it was just unheard of. The books had extracts of people who had seen dragons, but their advice was always how to get away from one.

* * *

"Harry, it's lunchtime and I've got to go. Keep up appearances and all that… also I kind of ditched Tracey and I feel bad," Daphne spoke up, stretching after sitting for hours.

"It's fine," he chuckled wearily. "Thanks for all your help."

Daphne looked at him for a few seconds. She didn't know what came over her, but she pulled him into a hug. "You'll do great," she said softly, before turning and exiting the room.

Harry stayed rooted on the spot, the smell of vanilla and parchment still lingering. _That was different__**. **_It was nothing like Hermione's or Mrs. Weasley's hugs which smothered him to the point of suffocation, but just one filled with complete warmth. He must have been staring at the spot where she was for a minute before shaking his head.

He looked at the dragon books on the floor, before pushing them aside, realising they wouldn't help him anymore.

"Ok room… I think I may have an idea"

* * *

"Come on Harry… you've got to eat," Fred said, the twin unusually solemn today.

"Yeah mate, can't win first place if your tummy isn't full," George added.

Harry just nodded silently, taking another spoonful of his scrambled eggs. He was wearing special red and black robes today, which were basically the same design as his Quidditch robes but much lighter to wear. They had been left on his bed in the morning, embroidered with his name on the back.

"Mr Potter," Professor McGonagall said, coming to the table. "It's time." He got up, saying bye to his friends, barely able to hear the standing ovation the Gryffindor table was giving him. She guided him to a tent pitched outside the Forbidden forest.

He noticed the makeshift arena that had been created. It must have been made last night because he would have seen something of this size. It was bigger than the school's Quidditch stadium, probably to fit in the students from other schools and various officials.

"I can't go inside now," McGonagall said, stopping at the entrance.

"Alright," was all he said. He didn't trust himself to speak anymore, trying to keep the food in his stomach.

"You'll do well Harry," she said, surprising him as she had never said his first name before. "James and Lily would have been proud," she finished, giving him a small smile before walking off.

He walked into the tent, not surprised this time by the expanding charms. There was a medical station to the side, where Madam Pomfrey and a healer he didn't know were quietly conversing. There were also couches present, but the rest of the tent was sparse. He walked into the middle where the other champions and their respective heads were standing.

"Excellent, you're all here," Bagman said, looking very excited. "Barty will now explain the task to each of you."

"As we are here, the stadium will be filling up with students and officials. The first task is simple. You must gather a golden egg, which is protected by a dragon…" Harry looked around to see that none of the other champions were surprised by this, showing that Daphne was right. However, it calmed his nerves to see that the other champions also looked quite anxious.

"You will have thirty minutes to complete the task. Now…" he said, pulling out a pouch. "There are four different miniature dragons here which represent the dragon you will be facing. Each dragon has a number, corresponding to the order that the champions will go," Crouch finished.

The selection went on. Harry obviously with the greatest luck chose the Hungarian Horntail. From all his research the day before, he knew that this dragon was the fiercest and strongest out there. Furthermore, if they were protecting their eggs, the dragon would be a female, and they were known for being more terrifying then their male counterparts.

"Now," Bagman said, clapping his hands together. "You will be judged on the amount of time it takes you to complete the task and the damage done to yourself and the eggs. Now do not fret. The eggs are not real dragon eggs, however if they break, you will lose points."

"I will be going now. The task starts in ten minutes." Looking to the headmasters, he continued, "You will be able to speak to your students for a few minutes, before you need to join me on the voting stage," Crouch said, before swiftly leaving with an animated Bagman by his side.

"Mr Diggory and Mr Potter," if you will, Dumbledore said, guiding them to a corner of the tent.

"Any advice sir?" Cedric asked nervously.

Dumbledore chuckled a bit. "I think both of you have had some preparation," the headmaster said, his eyes twinkling perceptively. Ignoring Harry and Cedric's surprised looks, he went on, "You are both highly gifted students, and I know to expect great things from both of you in these tasks. Most importantly, remember to trust your instincts. Only you can judge the situation when you're there and you must listen to yourselves. I believe greatly in both of you" he said, before joining the rest of the heads.

The cannon blast sounded a few minutes later. The anxiousness as he waited made Harry think about his first ever Quidditch match. The fright of playing a sport in front of hundreds of spectators had freaked him out as an eleven-year-old. But he was no longer eleven. He had done things that the most accomplished wizards would run away from. Each year, he was pushed to his extreme, but he had got through it. At those times it was luck, and a lack of training. But he had trained this time. He had tried his very hardest this year, and just like his previous years, he would get through this.

He relaxed a bit, focusing on his thoughts, ignoring Bagman's commentary, until he heard his name being shouted out. His legs wobbled as he stood up, but he steadied himself and walked out the tent.

* * *

The enclosure was oval shaped, the spectators on all sides. There was a huge protective ward in front of everyone who was watching to protect them from the dragon's fire. He didn't see the horntail at first. There were spirals of rocks all around him, with a small path. As he turned past the first rock, he saw her. She was at the other end of the enclosure. Her bright yellow eyes were focused on the eggs she was protecting with her wing. Her black spiked tail swung menacingly around her, and ever so often would collide into a rock and shatter it. Thick chains were lashed on the back of her legs, making it unable for her to move.

There was a path leading to the egg, and he started walking through it. At some point his fear was replaced by determination to finish his task. The Horntail finally roared viciously when she spotted him; breathing fire into the air as a warning. Moving slowly, he continued walking, but quickly had to dive behind a rock as the dragon shot flames towards him. The stadium was silent, as he made his next move.

His research last night led him to the fact that dragons weren't afraid of any creatures. However, they particularly delighted in eating some types of animals. Finally, he found a big enough rock to transfigure, praying that his practice yesterday would let him do it. He sighed in relief as the rock changed into a mountain goat, but costed him a few tedious minutes. However, he wasn't done. Quickly he levitated the animal far away from him, something that caught the dragon's eyes who shot out its front legs to snatch it, but the chains on her kept the Horntail from reaching.

When the goat was a sufficient distance away from him, he went onto the next part of his plan. Sending expansion charms, he increased the size of the goat until it was as large as an elephant. By now the dragon was wildly thrashing against her chains to reach such a large meal. He pushed down the nervousness as he proceeded. He had thought long and hard yesterday, and this was the only way he could think of getting the egg. His energy was not even depleted slightly from attempting such a complex transfiguration. All his training had paid off.

Aiming his wand at the dragon, he shouted "Bombarda," His aim was true and broke the chains off the dragon. Noticing her new freedom, she flew up and went straight towards her meal, her eggs forgotten momentarily in her pursuit for hunger. Ignoring the massive shrieks from the audience as the dragon flew, he sprinted towards the eggs, snatching the golden one in a second before turning around.

He miscalculated. Oh, he miscalculated immensely. In his planning, he believed he would have enough time to get the egg and run back to the tent while the dragon had her meal. However, the dragon had obviously not gotten the memo because she had finished and was now staring at an enemy who she believed had stolen one of her eggs.

She was blocking his exit, and the only way there was through the dragon. She moved forward quickly, swiping her tail towards him. He backed away and avoided it but couldn't dodge the flying rock debris which hit his chest, making a large gash through his shirt.

The dragon didn't seem to edge him back, scared off damaging her eggs. So, he was stuck in the same position, having to cover and duck behind rocks to avoid the Horntail's onslaught.

_What did Daphne say. It takes twenty dragon handlers to stun a dragon. Well Potter, first time for everything. _Raising his wand, he shot the most destructive spells he knew, but nothing pierced the armour. If anything, it just irritated her, but then he remembered something. _Looks like killing a basilisk had been good training for this_. All the books had said that the eyes were the weakest spot, but he realised she had another weak spot.

Avoiding the dragons latest breathe of fire, he shouted "DEPRIMO," shooting the spell at the dragon's chest. As usual, the spell only annoyed the dragon, who roared in response. The roar was all he needed. "CREPITUS MAXIMA"

He had learnt this last night. Well learnt wasn't the right word. The description itself was enough, and he was scared to perform such a spell on the room of requirement. He was pretty sure the book he read it from was something that belonged in the restricted area of the library, because the variety of curses and other spells in it were dark beyond belief. The spell was essentially meant to explode objects, but it was unbelievably powerful. It made the destructive spells taught in Hogwarts look like child play. However, for such a powerful spell the caster also had to be very powerful. The book warned that the majority of wizards and witches would enter a comatose state for days by just attempting it, and most would be very careless to even try.

The blue spell shot towards the dragon with dazzling speed, hitting the back of its mouth. The force of the explosion knocked him into the ground, but he kept a steadfast hold onto the egg. He got up, but his vision was blurry; the crash taking its toll. When his vision cleared, he felt sick. The explosion had torn the dragons head from its body, her nostrils inches from his feet, with smoke still rising through them. The rest of the mangled corpse had fallen to the ground, the weight of the dragon creating a small crater in the ground.

Not knowing how his legs were still operating, he went around the dragon, limping towards the exit. He walked straight through, ignoring Bagman's shouts to wait for his score. Moving to Madam Pomfrey, he collapsed before he could reach her, exhaustion taking over and the world blacking out.

* * *

"He just… he just killed a dragon," Tracey said, her mouth wide open.

"Not any dragon. He killed a Hungarian Horntail. Most powerful dragon out there," Blaise added. The usual stoic boy was unable to keep the shock from his features.

"Blaise," Tracey said, poking her friend. "Look at Draco," she snickered.

Blaise turned around to see the confidence of the Malfoy heir all gone, as he watched the corpse unbelievably pale. "I didn't think he could get any whiter," Blaise smirked, his eyes moving back to focus on the dragon.

He wasn't the only one. The rest of the audience stayed and watched with morbid curiosity. "Daphne, you never told me he was this strong… Daph?" Tracey asked, looking around for her friend.

"She must have gone," Blaise replied, as he also realised the girl was missing.

"Where on earth would she have gone now?" Tracey inquired.

"Well… Potter of course," Blaise smirked.

* * *

"GO ON HARRY," the twins and Lee Jordan shouted as Harry walked towards the exit. If he heard them, he paid no attention. The rest of Gryffindor was screaming wildly; chants of 'Potter' continuing well after he had left.

Hermione, however, did not join in with the 'festivities'. She would not look like a hooligan by chanting over Harry. She watched his entire task, getting angrier as he proceeded. Where had he learnt to do such complex transfiguration? That was NEWT level, and Harry was average at best. There was no way he could have pulled off such a feat. Yes, he may have been beating her through the year, but he still couldn't have done that by himself. 'He's probably getting help from the teachers' she thought to herself smugly.

Then he went and did that spell. He decapitated the head of a dragon. That was a dark spell. She knew it! She knew he was lying and was doing something dark. Finally, it explains how he kept beating her.

"Party in Gryffindor for Harry!" Fred Weasley shouted to their housemates, who cheered in response. Hermione wouldn't be going with them. First, she had to tell her suspicions to Ron who was sulking next to her. Then she and him would go to McGonagall and report it. Plus, the professor had seen it herself and had enough evidence to get him in trouble. She didn't care what Harry had told her before about getting involved in his life. If someone was breaking the rules, she had the right to tell them off to a teacher.

* * *

"Ughahs,"

"Well, Mr Potter that is no proper way to talk to a lady, but I guess I can let you off this time," Madam Pomfrey said sternly.

"Oh… sorry," Harry groaned. He tried to set himself up before a wave of pain hit him.

"Mr Potter, what do you think you're doing," Madam Pomfrey shrieked. "You have a concussion, a set of broken ribs, multiple abrasions across your body and the first thing your mind thinks to do is get up! If you move one inch, I will strap you to that bed," she said threateningly.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Harry gulped. He had just faced a massive dragon, yet no made him fear more for his life than the school's healer.

She spent the next few minutes tending to his various ailments. She offered him a potion, which cleared his massive headache and concussion. She put an ointment on his cuts which slowly started to patch the skin together. Thankfully since his ribs were only broken and not disappeared, he didn't have to take any awful Skele-Gro. She sent a quick spell, and he physically felt his bones move to mend together.

"Perhaps next time, I may need to clarify what I mean when I say trust your instincts," a voice said amusedly to the right.

"Wow sir. Two visits to my hospitable when I'm injured in the last few month. Some may say you're showing some preferential treatment towards me," Harry said cheekily to the headmaster.

"Now Harry, if I was any other headmaster, you would have probably been expelled by now. So perhaps I do give you too much freedom," Dumbledore replied.

Harry laughed at this, before the events he just went through smashed into his conscious mind. "Sir, my score… how did I do?"

"You got a 34 Harry. You are in second place, behind Mr Diggory who got a 35."

"Second?" Harry said surprised.

"Absolutely. You were the fastest out of all the contestants, using only 22 minutes. However, the Horntail also managed to injure you quite a bit which lowered it. However, I am extremely proud to know that the top two are Hogwarts champions."

Harry nodded, before asking the question that was persisting in his mind. "Do you think how I approached the task was foolish?"

"My boy that is not the way to think. In fact, it is sometimes the most foolish of ideas that turn into the biggest successes because no one else expects it to work."

"But am I in trouble for killing the dragon?" Harry said guiltily.

"Not at all," Dumbledore replied. "In fact… Ahh he has arrived. Just on time, Mr Weasley."

Harry turned his head slowly, to see Charlie Weasley walk over towards them, looking worn out. "Hiya Harry. Never do things, easily do you?"

"Just wouldn't be exciting if I didn't put myself in mortal danger," Harry replied.

"I was just telling Harry here that he isn't in trouble for killing the dragon," Dumbledore said.

"You are not Harry. Under the terms of the Triwizard Tournament, the dragons did not belong to the Romanian sanctuary anymore. Therefore, when you killed it, you beat it under right of conquest, and so the dragon belongs to you."

"What would I even do with a massive dragon corpse?" Harry inquired.

"Quite a lot actually. Dragon meat is quite a delicacy, especially for the Goblins who would pay top Galleon for it. The hide can be used for armour, weapons and even jewellery. This stuff is like gold at the sanctuary but we've had a lack of funding in the last years so we haven't been able to purchase any," Charlie said.

"Wait, I have an idea Charlie. You keep the dragon,"

"What?" Charlie said confusedly, but Dumbledore smiled in the background, understand what Harry was doing.

"Well you said the dragon belonged to me. So then in my rights, I want to donate the entirety of it to you and the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary," Harry replied.

"No Harry I can't let you do that. That's way too generous… it's yours."

"Charlie, I do not need a whole dragon. You can probably make tons of gold for the sanctuary with this and give the other dragons better care. You're not going to win this argument," Harry said firmly.

"Harry mate... you don't understand how thankful I am for that. You're unbelievable! I've got to go give the news to the other guys. They're going to be ecstatic," the older Weasley boy said before leaving.

"That was very nice of you Harry," Dumbledore said. "But I do think later we'll need to have a talk about that spell you used."

"Yes sir," Harry answered resignedly. He knew that he would have to talk about using such a questionable spell.

"Now I better leave before Poppy gets back and sees that I'm exerting her patient," Dumbledore said.

"You're afraid of her too, aren't you?" Harry said bemusedly.

"Terrified,"

* * *

No matter how much he begged, Madam Pomfrey said that she would keep him until after dinner. The matron wouldn't even let him walk his way to the Hospital Wing. But of course, even after defeating a dragon, fate wouldn't be nice to him and made sure that Fred and George came at the exact time to see him being levitated on a stretcher. He had to endure their snickers, and their name calling, before he finally threatened to castrate them. They seemed to leave much faster after that.

"Now Mr Potter. I'm going for dinner. I will be back in twenty minutes to check your vitals and if everything is okay, I'll send you off," Madam Pomfrey said

"Why can't you just check my vitals now and let me go to dinner now?" Harry whined.

"Complain one more time Mr Potter and I'll keep you overnight."

"Fine," Harry huffed.

"Don't pout Mr Potter. Your visitor wouldn't want to see that," the matron said before walking off.

"What visitor?" Harry said confusedly, before his question was answered in the shape of Daphne Greengrass.

"Interesting tactic," was all she said, sitting on the chair next to his bed.

"Um… yeah," was all he said. He was unsure of how she was feeling. That damn impenetrable mask was on her face which made it impossible for him to discern her emotions.

"Well you idiot…," she said punching him lightly. "Tell me where you figured out all those spells?" she inquired, her face breaking into a relieved smile.

Harry laughed at this. It was so refreshing to have someone like Daphne in his life. She didn't scold him or tried to act like his parent unlike some other friends he knew. She was just so… Daphne; that was the only way to explain her. He proceeded to tell her how he planned the task after she had left the room of requirement the previous day.

"Hmm… so let's get this straight. What part of 'it takes many wizards to subdue a dragon' did you not understand?" she replied

"Hey! I got that, but like I said, I thought the dragon would take longer to eat that bloody goat."

"Potter you're just one crazy wizard," she said. It was true. She watched as he performed the most impressive show of magic she had ever seen. The amount of raw power it would have taken to use all those spells, and then finish of with that one. He was unbelievably strong and didn't even acknowledge it. _He could actually win this whole damn tournament. _She had left the task early, to just think about all those thoughts. She still didn't understand how someone her age could be that strong.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he replied.

"It was meant to be," she laughed.

"So, do I not get a hug this time for my effort?" He didn't know why he said that. It just spilled out. He had caught that familiar scent of vanilla and before he knew it the words had spilled out of his mouth.

Daphne's laugh was replaced by a deep blush. She scolded herself internally for blushing, but she wouldn't let him have those last words. "Liked it, did you?" she answered, trying to not keep her voice from going an octave higher.

"I mean… it was… it was very great… I mean nice," his spluttering ended, when she enveloped him in a hug, her scent engulfing his senses.

Pulling back, she was amused greatly to see how red he had turned. She didn't understand why she did it. This time or the first time. But Harry was just a friend, and friends hug. She had seen him and Granger hug before, so this was nothing different. Hoping to change the subject, she asked, "so what about the golden egg?"

"Crap! Can't believe I forgot about that. With all the excitement of today I forgot about the main part of the stupid task."

He moved his hand to where he had kept the egg, on the floor next to the bed. Bringing it on the bed so Daphne could look, he turned the clasp and opened it…

* * *

**Haha, why did I end it there? Because this egg isn't going to have the same features as canon. I told you guys I was going to do something different for the tasks in the future. You'll just have to wait and see what happens.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and hope you liked how I changed the first task around to make it something unique. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed and favourited.**

**Hope you guys continuing reviewing, they are super helpful! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Hoping to change the subject, she asked, "so what about the golden egg?"_

"_Crap! Can't believe I forgot about that. With all the excitement of today I forgot about the main part of the stupid task."_

_He moved his hand to where he had kept the egg, on the floor next to the bed. Bringing it on the bed so Daphne could look, he turned the clasp and opened it…_

* * *

A low and quiet monotonous pulse came out the egg, sounding almost like a heartbeat. It had a rhythmic pattern to it., however it was incomprehensible. There were no words or anything to try and understand. Inside the egg were swirling lights of green which added to the mystery of the egg but didn't help comprehend it any better. Harry and Daphne stared at the glowing lights for a few seconds before he shut it.

"Do you have any idea what that's about?" Harry asked.

"None," she replied, still staring at the golden egg on his lap.

"Well… it doesn't matter. I have months before I have to figure it out anyway. Plus, at the moment, I don't have the brainpower to understand the clue," he said.

"Don't worry about it…" she said smiling, "I didn't think you had a lot of brainpower to start with," she continued jokingly.

"Prat," Harry laughed, before throwing a pillow at her.

Just as she was about to return the favour, "Excuse me, Miss. Greengrass, but I'd prefer if my patient didn't get hit… even if he may deserve it," Madam Pomfrey said, entering the infirmary.

"HEY!", Harry replied. "Did you ever think that she was the one who started it?"

"Madam Pomfrey, maybe he should spend another night here. The potions seem to be messing up his memory," Daphne added innocently.

"Perhaps… but I wouldn't want to hear his whining throughout the night," Madam Pomfrey replied, a smile on her face. "Now Mr. Potter, take off your shirt so I can see if those abrasions have healed,"

"Well Madam Pomfrey… that's quite forward of you. At least buy me dinner first," Harry teased. Daphne burst into laughter, while the matron murmured to herself about the Weasley twins and their influence.

"I think I'll go now," Daphne said. "Well done, Harry," she said again, giving him another smile before leaving the room.

"What a nice girl," Madam Pomfrey commented as she checked his wounds.

"Yeah… she's great."

* * *

After ten minutes of the matron prodding and poking him to see if he was completely fine, was he allowed to leave. Within his first steps into the Gryffindor common room he was pounded by large amounts of noise coming in every direction. Fred and George had gone all out for this party. There were tables streaming with food and drinks, courtesy of the kitchen elves. He was sure he spotted a bottle of firewhisky in the corner, compliments of the seventh years. Someone had even created a banner which was animated to show him defeating the Horntail.

"Dragon Slayer!" Fred and George said together, bowing comically to Harry as he walked in.

"Do that again, and I'll be the twin slayer," Harry said amusedly. Sleep was forgotten about as he enjoyed the next few hours of the party, even spending some more time with Neville. The egg was passed around numerous times, with different people trying to come up with ideas about what it meant. He spotted Ron in the corner, speaking with Dean and Seamus, but he was not inclined to speak with him. Surprisingly, Hermione wasn't here, but then again, she had never been fond of the loud Gryffindor parties, and probably have given students a lecture if she had spotted the alcohol.

"Ok, so what the hell was that?" George asked, as the party came to its end. The trio were currently lounging near the fireplace, taking comfort of the heat on the cold November night.

"Which part do you mean Georgie?" Fred replied. "The one where he did a transfiguration spell that McGonagall hasn't even taught us sixth years yet or the spell which destroyed the head of a Horntail."

"Well… both. You should have seen the faces of some people when you did that Harry," George said amusedly.

"Yeah, that fifth year kid McLaggen looked like he pissed himself when it happened."

"I'm just glad it's done," Harry sighed.

"At least people apologised to you at the party for not believing you," Fred added.

Harry deflated at this statement, "Yeah of course they say it now. I just killed a dragon so now everyone wants to be my best friend. Let something else happen, and they'll have forgotten all about it and go back to fearing me," he replied depressingly.

"Yeah I guess you're right," George added morosely. His face quickly turned into a smirk as he continued, "Well at least that Malfoy kid won't bother you after this. Even daddy's gold won't make him brave enough to face you after what you did."

Harry chuckled at this, "Yeah but knowing Draco, he'll probably make up some story about how it was all fake and make it seem like he could have easily done it… stupid ponce."

They continued chatting for a few minutes until Fred remembered something. "Oh, by the way Harry, Charlie met us before he left. He wanted to thank you again for the dragon and promises that he'll send you a gift from the remains," Fred mentioned.

"No way!"

"Yes way," the twins replied together.

"I hate when you do that," Harry said.

"Well whatever…"

"… do you mean?"

"I thought you…"

"… loved when we did this."

"OUCH!" they shouted together as Harry sent stinging hexes towards the both of them.

"Damn," Fred said, rubbing his arm. "The boy defeats one dragon and starts beating his friends,"

Harry just laughed, before sending another stinging hex which led into to a game of chase between the three through the early hours of the day.

* * *

The morning after the task started as he had expected. He had walked into the Great Hall to see most of the students pouring over the latest copies of the Daily Prophet, and rounds of whispers broke out. He wandered to the Gryffindor table, sitting next to Lee Jordan. "So, what is it this time?" Harry said exasperatedly.

"Skeeter," was all he replied, before passing the article towards him.

_**DRAGON SLAUGHTERED IN FIRST TASK!**_

_Yesterday afternoon, I had the privilege of attending the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. The objective of the task was to retrieve a golden egg from a dragon, each chosen different for the four participating champions. The first contestant was Cedric Diggory, who used his skills in transfiguration and charms to trick the dragon before gaining the egg._

_Fleur Delacour, champion of Beauxbatons, used enchantments to put the dragon into sleep before retrieving the golden egg. Whereas, her competitor Victor Krum, champion of Durmstrang blinded his dragon before retrieving the sought-after egg._

_However, none surprised us much as the performance by Harry Potter. The champion has been amidst a lot of controversy on his entrance into the tournament, many speculating the Headmaster being involved. Mr. Potter approached the task in a very different way to the other champions. To win the task, the fourth champion fought the dragon head on, before ending the battle by sending a dark spell which decapitated the head of a Hungarian Horntail._

_Our readers may be surprised by this proclamation, especially as the Horntail is classed by the Ministry as the most dangerous dragon. Therefore, it is more surprising that a boy only in his fourth year was able to handle a dragon in such a way and end up in second place. Additionally, where did Mr Potter learn such a hazardous spell which would be able to hurt a dragon. Is the boy who saved us from the last dark lord, perhaps walking in the same footsteps? This reporter is increasingly suspicious about his victory. Is Harry Potter being personally trained by Albus Dumbledore? This is against the rules, and if so, actions must be taken to vindicate them, and be brought to justice._

_Rita Skeeter: Correspondent to the Daily Prophet _

_**For more on Hungarian Horntails; see page 9**_

"Well to be honest, I'm actually surprised she didn't just dedicate the entire article to me and my evil ways," Harry said nonchalantly before tossing the paper on the table.

"You don't care that she just made you out to be some kind of dark wizard," Lee asked surprised.

"Why would I? I've finally learnt this year, that people are going to make their own opinions of me, whether I did it or not. So, I'm not going to bitch and cry because what's done is done."

Lee chuckled at this, "yeah I guess when someone's in the newspaper as much as you, you've got to learn and ignore it."

"Exactly. So, screw Skeeter," Harry replied, before tucking into his breakfast, and getting ready for the day. He was sure he was going to get another letter to meet Sirius and Remus after this being published in the paper.

"You sure you're ok?" Neville asked, who had come towards the end of the conversation.

"Yeah completely Nev. Let's get going to DADA, before Moody curses us for being late."

Neville laughed at this. "Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him to do that. But that eye of his really creeps me out. It can see through anything," Neville replied, picking up his bag and following Harry out the hall.

"What about clothes? Because that would be creepy if he could see through clothes."

"Maybe he can, but I don't have the guts to ask him that," Neville said, becoming immediately nervous and carrying his bag in front of his chest.

"What about that hip flask he always has with him?" Harry inquired.

"Oh, some sixth year Ravenclaw told me that he only drinks from his own flask because he's worried about being poisoned by dark wizards."

"That doesn't surprise me. He's always banging on about constant vigilance," Harry replied, taking a seat in the defence classroom.

The class remained quiet once everyone was in, even though Moody hadn't arrived yet. Even when he wasn't here people were scared not to follow his rules. He had a habit of throwing stray spells at students who didn't co-operate in his class. Suddenly, a red spell flew from the front of the classroom, stunning Dean Thomas in the front row, sending Lavender into shouts of terror.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody shouted, as he removed the disillusionment charm on himself from the front of the room. Harry was the only one to laugh at this. Every few weeks, Moody would sneak up on the class in some way to try and catch them off guard, and he succeeded every time.

"Finnigan, wake up your friend and someone shut Miss Brown up." Moody barked.

"Now," he announced to the class, waving his wand to the blackboard. "Can anybody tell me what spell I just used?"

Surprise, surprise only one hand shot up, waving in the air. "Yes Miss. Granger," Moody asked, not even turning around as he focused on the blackboard.

"The stunning spell Professor," she answered.

"Correct. Five points to Hufflepuff,"

"But… sir I'm in Gryffindor," Hermione protested. However, if he had heard, he obviously didn't seem to care, amusing the Hufflepuffs greatly who shared the class with them.

"Well what are you waiting for! Copy this in your notes now," he said, pointing to his description on the board. "See. This spell is supposed to be taught in your fifth year, but I'm not going to let some hippies at the Ministry dictate how I should teach you," he ranted. "This here is the basic defensive spell you need to know, and you better know it," he added menacingly on as the class copied down the notes.

"Mr. Potter" he bellowed. "Come up here for a demonstration of the spell." Harry sighed to himself. He always got chosen. Moody was oddly fascinated by him.

"Now, I'm going to wager a guess that you know this spell after I saw your performance at the task," Moody said, breaking out into a heavily scarred grin.

"Yes Professor," Harry replied.

"Good lad. The incantation is 'Stupefy' and the wand movement is like this," he said, performing a jab with his wand. "Simple enough. Now Potter… BLOCK" he said quickly, shooting the spell at deathly speed, but Harry managed to get a shield in front of it, the charm rebounding harmlessly.

"Nice work Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor," he said, ignoring Hermione's huff when he got Harry's house correctly. "WELL! What are you waiting for! Pair up and start practicing."

Harry went to partner with Neville, because he tended to get left behind by the other Gryffindors. "Alright, Neville. You try it, and I'll just block," Harry instructed.

"Stupefy!" he stammered, jabbing his wand, but nothing came out. He sighed in defeat, his shoulders sagging in disappointment.

"Come on Neville! You only tried once. No one gets spells on their first time. Try again but say the spell clearly this time."

"Stupefy" he intoned. This time there was some sort of light, but it fizzled out.

They tried throughout the class. No matter how many times he did it, the spell would die out before reaching Harry.

"This doesn't make sense." Harry said to himself. "You're doing it perfectly. It should work." The class had ended, and they were the only students left, as Harry tried to figure out Neville's problem.

"I'm just no good Harry. I don't have enough power," he murmured embarrassingly.

"That can't be right lad," Moody said, coming up from behind. "Show me your wand," he commanded.

Neville handled it and watched as the professor looked at it. "Have you damaged this in anyway?"

"No sir. It's been in the same condition since my gran gave it to me."

"Wait, your gran?" Harry asked confusedly.

"Yeah, it was my father's. She gave it to me, hoped it would make me like him," he answered.

Harry was still confused when Neville said this. Why would he have his father's wand. In fact, in the four years as dormmates, he had never even heard Neville mention his parents. He guessed they must be dead if he lived with his grandma.

Moody seemed aware of Harry's confusion and continued the talk. "That's not how it works Longbottom. You may have some connection because it was your father's wand. But the wand will never be tuned to yourself. Don't worry lad. I'll send a letter to your grandmother and sort this out."

Neville took his wand back, looking at it sadly. "Don't be upset Nev," Harry said. "You can still honour his memory in different ways. Keep the wand as a reminder of him."

Neville nodded, but his resolve looked stronger. "Thanks"

"Potter stay back for a second," Moody asked. "Take a seat" he commanded, once Neville had left.

"You looked confused at the mention of his parents?" Moody noted.

"Are they dead sir?"

"No" he answered. "They are incapacitated. They were tortured into insanity by the Dark Lord's most loyal followers." Harry thought he saw the hint of a smile on his face but must have imagined it.

"That's terrible," Harry replied. "Did the people who did it get caught?"

Moody looked incredibly grim at the question. "Yes. A death eater in Azkaban ratted them out. He was released for tattling on them, but if there's anything I hate is a death eater who was allowed to walk."

* * *

Harry made his way towards the Headmaster's office. He had just finished his dinner and decided to meet him. Dumbledore hadn't actually called him, but he wanted to discuss the spell he used, and ask him questions about his family vault. The small talk with Daphne about his heritage, showed how little he knew about his family. Questions that Dumbledore would finally be able to answer.

Saying the password to the stone gargoyle, he made his way up the stairs. He was about to knock when he heard voices.

"- he's worried Albus. The mark gets darker each passing day. You know exactly what this means," a voice said. A voice which Harry knew much too well for his liking; the resident potion master of Hogwarts.

"He's only worried. I do not believe he is part of any plan that Voldemort may have. He gave too many names to get out of Azkaban." _Wait! Is this the rat that Moody was talking about yesterday? Who was this person?_

"And me?" Snape replied loudly. "Where is my part in this?"

"The same it has always been Severus. Now we will need to save this talk for later. I have a guest… Come in Harry," the headmaster called out.

Harry sheepishly walked in, followed by the knowing eyes of Dumbledore and the murderous glare of Snape.

"Potter what exactly are you doing here?" Snape asked, quickly pulling down the hem of his robes to cover his arm.

"I called Harry here," Dumbledore lied. "Perhaps it is best I talk to him now." Severus looked at Harry one more time; giving the headmaster a curt nod, he walked out, his black robes billowing behind.

Dumbledore gestured to the seat in front of him, which Harry took. "Have you ever heard of the muggle expression, 'curiosity killed the cat,'" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling jovially.

"Sorry sir," Harry replied guiltily. "I should have knocked."

"It doesn't matter. Now I guess you've come to talk about the spell you used. I'm surprised you didn't wait for me to send for you."

"I just didn't want you to think I went dark because I used that spell," Harry said worriedly.

"Why would I think that?"

"Because it blew up the head of a dragon… It's not exactly taught here."

Dumbledore nodded serenely. "I'm guessing you learnt this from a book in the restriction section then?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied. He didn't want to explain the room of requirement, but if Dumbledore knew he was lying, he didn't show it.

"Harry, I have never been one to believe the words of the news. Ms Skeeter couldn't be any more wrong about your 'path to the dark lord'" he quoted from yesterday's article. "I do not believe you are going dark, not in the slightest. Firstly, what even makes a spell dark or questionable?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Is it… how you use it?"

"Precisely. It is your intention of the spell. You didn't use that spell for fun, but to get out of mortal danger. It was your instinct to survive that made you do it. Just look at Professor Moody. When he was an auror, he used curses and hexes that were terribly gruesome. However, he didn't do this for fun. He did it for good; to stop death eaters who used those spells for completely different reasons. Let me take an unforgivable curse for example…" Dumbledore said, watching as Harry shifted to pay more attention now.  
"If we were to take the Imperius curse, it could be seen as wrong because it lets you control people, stripping them off their free will. However, what if I were to use it on someone who was trying to harm someone else and talk them away from doing it. I can use a spell that gives you a life sentence in Azkaban for the good of another," Dumbledore finished.

"So, what you're saying is that spells are classified as dark because of the intentions of people. But because of the effects they have and because people have abused it, they're deemed as dark," Harry replied in understanding.

"Exactly. In fact, this was the same explanation Professor McGonagall gave Miss. Granger and Mr. Weasley when they questioned the spell you used."

Harry nodded back, but on the inside, he was absolutely furious. He had told them to stay away from his life, and this had Hermione written all over it. Dumbledore said she went to question McGonagall. No, she had probably dragged a confused Ron to complain about the spell and try and get him into trouble.

Dumbledore sensing his internal battle, wisely moved on to calm the young boy. "Now, is there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Yes sir," he replied, pushing his anger down for now. "Recently, I learned that I have a family vault, but I just wondered why no one ever told me about it," Harry asked.

"Ahh…" Dumbledore replied, pushing himself back in his chair. "Well I knew of you having one, because the older families have always had one. However, I myself didn't feel comfortable talking about what your finances and assets may be, especially since it is such a private matter. You are right, I should have told you about it, but you are still too young to access it, and I didn't think it would be that important to you at the moment."

"It's not sir. I just don't like when things I should know are kept away from me," Harry replied.

The headmaster remained silent for a few seconds after Harry had said it. "I understand," he said quietly. "Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

Harry thought about anything to do with his family, before it came to him. "Did my parents have a will?"

"They did. But under Goblin law, the death of both parents, stipulates that the will is locked in the family vault. The items that your parents bequeathed went to the intended people, but there was no will reading. It was very private, but you yourself cannot access it until you're of age, or you need a guardian to access it. However, as you know, your legal guardians are the Dursley's, so it would be up to them if they wanted to see your parents' will."

Harry sighed to himself. He didn't even think guardians could be a suitable word for the Dursley's. That and their aversion to anything magic meant he would have to wait until he was seventeen.

He stood up to leave, when he asked, "Sir, are you saying it is fine for me to learn dark spells?"

"It is. Like I told you this summer, to become a powerful wizard you must expand upon different branches of magic. However, it is not the only thing you should learn, and I would advise strict caution when learning them," Dumbledore replied sternly.

Harry nodded in response, one more question plaguing his mind. "Did you ever use spells like this in the first war with Voldemort?"

"I did not," was his only reply.

Knowing that he didn't want to expand upon it, Harry said his farewell before leaving the office. He wondered why the headmaster wouldn't use spells like it. If Moody, someone firmly fighting for the good used spells like that, why wouldn't Dumbledore? Maybe he couldn't accept using them for moral reasons. Dumbledore had always believed in giving people a second chance and reforming their ways, even if Harry himself didn't understand why he'd give some people another chance.

But he had more important things to dwell about. Pulling out the Marauder's map he found Hermione in the Gryffindor common room. His anger finally coming back at full throttle, he walked as fast as he could to the tower. Hissing the password at the Fat Lady, he went and found her.

"What did I tell you?" Harry said, not bothering to keep his voice quiet. The rest of the common room quickly became silenced as they watched the commotion. Everyone had known that some sort of physical confrontation would happen after Ron and Hermione stopped talking to Harry. However, most assumed that Harry would have faced Ron, who was always quick to temper.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" he shouted this time, when she didn't reply.

She flustered at his shouting, his green eyes glowing in rage. Ever since McGonagall had told her that Harry did nothing wrong, she had expected him to come and find her. However, she didn't account for him getting so enraged. "It… it was my duty. It was a dark spell" she replied, trying to act authoritarian, but her voice coming out in a strangled squeak.

"I told you that-"

"Leave her alone" a voice commanded, cutting him off. Harry turned around to see a red-faced Ron come forward.

"No, I've had enough," Harry said angrily, pulling out his wand and pointing it towards Ron. "I said the next time you two interfered in my life; you'd be talking to my wand."

"You wouldn't." Hermione said smugly, her voice finally coming back, and she stood up to face him, pulling her wand out.

"And why is that?" Harry retorted, his eyes still blazing.

"Cause I'm the better student," she replied condescendingly. "You may have fooled Professor McGonagall, but she doesn't know you as well as I do. You wouldn't try and fight me."

"Fine then Hermione. Why don't you show me how much better you are?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"How about a duel now? Right her in the common room and it'll be non-lethal because I wouldn't want to use a dark spell on you" he said, mocking the use of dark.

Hermione seemed oddly glad at this. She obviously thought this was her chance to show that she was the best student around. "Fine," she said with a triumphant smile. She had been training recently and knew that since she put even more effort in her work, she could easily best Harry. She had always been better at magic than him, and this time she would show him up in front of everyone.

"Harry what are you doing?" Fred whispered, yanking him back from the confrontation.

"I've defended them for too long in my head. I've always had this hope that we could reconcile our friendship. But, no… I'm done playing around with them. I was in this exact position weeks ago. I came here to the common room and told her off for meddling with my life. She didn't listen last time and won't listen this time So, the time for talking is done," he ranted; his tone unwavering.

"If you think this is what you have to do. I support you," George replied, knowing there would be no changing Harry's mind. Fred nodded in agreement to show his support.

He turned around to face her. It looked like the entire common room was watching, but he didn't care. Ron was glaring from the side-lines, but Hermione must have said something to keep him quiet. Her wand was out, and she looked incredibly smug as she watched him. He wasn't going to toy with her. He was going to use every bit of that practice and finish it in a few seconds.

"You can start," he said.

The fight that took place was talked about for weeks to come. Each re-telling was adapted into a story more dramatic than the last. The Hogwarts rumour mill had this amazing ability to twist anything into the most fanatical story, with people telling their friends that the fight almost blew up half the common room. Everyone knew it was fake, but no one bothered to correct it. However, the reality was much more disappointing than what was spread around the school, and the reality was that the fight lasted less than twenty seconds.

She looked at him for a few seconds before sending a combination of spells. She started with a tripping jinx, following by a banishing charm and a stunner. It was obvious to Harry she had practiced this combination by herself because she did it with a well-rehearsed fluidity. However, it was nothing compared to the speed and power of the training dummies in the room of requirement. He dodged it with ease, before disarming her simply.

Not bothering to catch it, he let the wand fall to the ground, before proceeding to walk in front of her, shock evident on her face. "And that was non-lethal" he whispered harshly, before walking upstairs to his room, the students in his path, quickly moving away.

* * *

"Ok shall we get started?" Daphne said, pulling out a large book from her bag. It had been two weeks since the first task, and as promised, Daphne was teaching him about the magical world.

The time since the task had almost been comical for Harry. Those who had openly mocked him before the task, seemed to give him a wide berth or quickly moved away when he was in the same vicinity. Many others tried to apologise or act like they had believed him the entire time. Malfoy as usual had blathered nonsensical arguments about Harry cheating, but for once not as many people believed the self-acclaimed prince of Slytherin.

The story of his duel with Hermione only added to the controversy behind him. Many believed that if he had fought his ex- best friend that he was going to go after those who had insulted him. For once, however, he didn't mind those rumours if it kept people from annoying him. It also meant that Hermione kept away from him. Fred and George told him that she looked close to tears when he had left. He wanted to feel sympathy for her, but she had it coming for weeks, and he was tired of trying to find reasons for forgiving her.

However, he did feel bad, because the duel had put a strain between Ron and the twins. Ron believed that they saw Harry as more important than him and felt that they had betrayed the family by siding with a 'dark wizard.' Fred and George, didn't seem to be bothered by it, their only comment being, "once a prat, always a prat." He had really believed that after the task, one of them would have come and tried to apologise, but he was done with them.

Other notable news had been the announcement about the Yule Ball taking place the day before Christmas Eve. It was open for fourth years and above, and Harry watched as the common room broke out into whispers, and gazes at their potential dates. She also announced that trains would be leaving the day after for those who wanted to spend the rest of the Christmas break with their family. Harry still cringed internally as he remembered his conversation with McGonagall:

"Mr. Potter," she called after telling the Gryffindors about the event.

"Yes professor?"

"Now, I assume that will you be trying to find a partner for the ball?"

"I guess so…" Harry replied, uncomfortable about taking about asking a girl out with his head of house.

"Well you must. It's a tradition that the ball opens with a dance between the champions and their dates."

"But Professor… I don't dance," Harry said nervously.

"I don't think your heard me correctly Mr. Potter. The tournament has been going on for centuries and I will not have my own Gryffindor be the first to break the tradition," the transfiguration professor replied sternly.

"But professor-" He tried to protest but was cut off with her stern glare. "Who'll teach me how to dance" Harry asked resignedly, knowing there was no way he would be able to back away from this.

"Your date preferably. However, if she herself needs lessons, then I will have to teach you."

"You," Harry spluttered, his face getting red.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," she said, smiling a bit at his discomfort, before walking away.

Those thoughts still rummaged through his head, as he watched Daphne organise the books in the room of requirement. Fred and George had mocked him constantly about the girl since the ball had been announced. Although he had thought about it in depth, he didn't have any idea what he should do.

Yes, he found her immensely attractive. His first ever meeting with Daphne at the Quidditch finals made him flustered by her looks, but he wasn't shallow enough to ask her to the ball just because of that. But then she had an amazing personality as well, once he had gotten to know her. She had believed him immediately, and never pressured him to do anything that he didn't want to do. But would she even accept it if he asked her? Unknown to him, Daphne was also having similar thoughts:

She had been walking around the Hogwarts grounds with Tracey. It was a Hogwarts tradition for them to take a walk on the first week of December and just catch up on everything in their lives. Even though they spent most time together, they both appreciated this moment to be alone together and just talk about anything at all.

They took a seat on the floor, their backs upon a tree, watching the lake. Tracey's warming charms meant the snow gave a tingling sensation on their bodies. It had been an hour of talking, before Tracey had brought up her favourite subject- boys.

"So, the Yule Ball?" Tracey asked.

"Oh yeah. Are you going to stay over at my house during the winter break, the day after the ball?" Daphne inquired.

"Yes, but that isn't why I mentioned the ball," Tracey smirked mischievously.

"Tracey please… noo," Daphne groaned.

"Yes. We've been in school for four years, and we've been friends with you for even longer and I have never seen you show any attention to boys until this year."

"Because, most of the boys here want me because they think I'll be a great possession for them. You know how disgusting they can be."

"I agree with that, but we're not talking about just any boy. I have a particular boy in mind."

"Please can we not talk about Harry again," Daphne pleaded.

"Why not? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing… but"

"Exactly," Tracey said, cutting her off. "There's nothing wrong with him. He's intelligent, powerful, is so nice and Merlin knows he's handsome," Tracey swooned.

"Jeez, why don't you go take him to the ball then."

"If you don't get moving on, I just might," Tracey joked.

"Anyway, this is all hypothetical. You don't even know that he would ask me? And who say's I'll say yes?"

"Hmm… let me think about that," Tracey said dramatically rubbing her chin. "Didn't you go running off to find him directly after the first task finished?"

"Hey… wait a second-"

Tracey, wasn't finished yet, "Didn't you also try and find out where he had been sneaking off to and then ask him to train with you?"

"That was different," Daphne retorted.

"Maybe… but think to yourself. If you had seen a different boy in the library that day, would you have followed him?"

So, there she was, with the boy in question now. Tracey's questions ran through her head constantly, yet there was still something holding her back. Since the ball had been announced, she had been asked out a few times. Multiple older students in Slytherin had made attempts to ask her, stating that it would be an honour for her to attend it with them. She had declined all, even having to hex the last one who came way too close when asking her.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Harry said, taking a seat, knocking her out of her reverie.

Taking the seat opposite to him, she opened her book. "Ok, so I thought we'd start with politics." At Harry's scrunched up face of disgust, she continued. "Look, you wanted to learn more about the Wizarding world, and politics is very important in it."

"Fine," Harry conceded. "So, what are we doing today?"

"I thought we'd start with the Wizengamot. Do you know anything about it?" she inquired.

"Doesn't it pass laws?"

"In essence yes, but it has more functions than it. I'll just give you a brief history of it, so I don't bore you too much. From what this book tells me, the first recorded Wizengamot trial was in 1544, but more basic versions had been going on for centuries before. Now, the Wizengamot was founded by six of the oldest pureblood families of the time. However, the only known families were the Blacks and the Longbottom's" she answered.

"Neville's family?"

"Yes. Neville's ancestor was one of the founding members of the Wizengamot we know today. Now many other pureblood families have tried to make a claim in the creation of the Wizengamot. However, there has never been enough proof, and most families will not reveal their family tree to the public to give evidence to their claim."

"Why wouldn't they want to reveal that?"

"Because as much as these families want to boast that they are pure. Everyone's ancestors have married muggles, muggleborns or half-bloods. If they hadn't, we would have died centuries ago."

"That makes sense," Harry said in agreement.

"Now, that's all the history you really need to know about it. Now what do you know about the Sacred twenty-eight of them?"

"That there are twenty-eight of them," Harry joked.

"Pretty much. The sacred twenty-eight are the families that can trace their magical lineage past seven hundred years. They are known as the purest families out there. Some names that you'll know are the Blacks, Abbott, Malfoy, Crouch, Longbottom, Weasley's and even my family."

"I though you said the Potter's were one of the oldest families. How come we're not there?"

"I thought you'd ask that. Essentially, the Potters have always been muggle sympathisers, and many also believe that you have a very muggle name. Therefore, they drew the conclusion that your blood isn't very pure and had dodgy beginnings. But the reason I mentioned the sacred twenty-eight is because, due to their names, they automatically have a permanent seat and a vote on the Wizengamot. However, while the Weasley's are part of the sacred twenty-eight, they don't have a seat whereas the Potters do."

"Wait, how did that happen?" Harry asked, engrossed in the subject.

"Well from what this book tells me. In the seventeenth century, a Weasley was charged with conspiring with muggles and were stripped off their seat. The next family with the greatest claim to the seat was the Potter's and so your family gained the seat and the vote. That's why people like Malfoy often call the Weasley's blood traitors. Now there are other families that were part of the Sacred twenty-eight that died out like the Gaunt's or Fawley's. So, when this happens, the next pureblood family with the greatest claim gets the position. That's why the Bones family has a vote, because they replaced the Fawley family when they died out." Daphne replied.

"Wait, so how exactly does a family die out. I mean I know you have a sister as well. So, if you were to both get married, and take your husband's name, wouldn't the Greengrass family be finished."

"Not exactly. In that case, if Astoria and I were to take our husband's name, our first child would have the father's surname, and it's usually a tradition to give the second child my last name. So technically that's not dying out. However, some family names have died out in the past because there were no heirs or because they were incorporated into newer families that didn't allow them to keep their last name. That's the problem with purebloods. This constant intermingling between themselves mean that hundreds of families have died out."

"Yeah, that does makes sense… But one thing is bothering me. I'm assuming that later in my life, I will be able to take up the Potter seat in the Wizengamot." At Daphne's nod at his assessment, he continued. "But all these families you mentioned are purebloods, but I'm only a half-blood. Won't that cause a problem?"

Daphne laughed at that question. "Harry no matter what the purebloods keep harping about with blood purity, what really matters is wealth or power. No will challenge you because you have money, and your family has had a seat on it for generations. It's the same reason why no one challenges Dumbledore in his position as Chief Warlock. He may be a half-blood, but when you're that powerful, people seem to conveniently forget about your blood."

_That makes sense. I'm sure some of his closest followers knew that Voldemort was a half-blood. But it didn't matter because he was so powerful. _"So, doesn't that mean, that anyone with money could try and get themselves a seat?"

"In theory yes. However, all the people with the large amounts of money are purebloods, or descendants of pureblood families. I doubt you'll find wealthy muggleborns here, and even then, the prejudice against them would hold them back."

"Alright, I understand. So apart from the sacred twenty-eight, who holds votes?" Harry asked.

"Well, after the hereditary seats, there are around ninety more seats. These are people who have to be elected into these positions by the people. However, the problem with our current administration, is the corruption. Namely Lucius Malfoy. As long as he keeps lining Fudge's pocket with gold, the people who are elected are usually his supporters."

"Is that why all those acts against creatures such as werewolves have been passed?" Harry questioned.

"Precisely, which is why even though Professor Lupin was one of our best defence teachers ever, he was kicked out because it was leaked that he was a werewolf. Lucius Malfoy and his supporters are the reason why muggleborns still struggle in our world today," she said sadly. Continuing, she spoke, "Now, let's go onto the governing body of the Wizengamot. Like I mentioned, Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock. That means he governs the discussions and talks and must raise any proposals put forward."

"So, what does Fudge do at these things then?"

"Well technically, the Wizengamot doesn't come under the Minister's jurisdiction. It's handled by the DMLE, so Amelia Bones. The minister's job is more about the day to day running of the departments and international relations. However, Fudge can try and put forward any decrees he wants, and as Minister he gets two votes. He also judges over very high-profile trials, which is when the entire Wizengamot has to be present to vote, and that's pretty much it for the Wizengamot. Obviously, there's more intricacies, but I don't know enough about that. My father would be able to go into much greater depth."

"Well at least now I have a better understanding of it. I was completely clueless about it before."

"It's fine Harry. You've helped me so much, I'm glad to do this for you," she smiled.

She started packing up the books in her bag when she dropped a book, and he quickly went to pick it up, his hand fumbling with hers as she tried to do the same thing.

"Daphne would you be my date for the ball?" he blurted out. Once again, he had no idea what overcame him. Every time she came close to him, his mouth just didn't listen to his mind and operated on its own.

She looked at him, her face going through multiple emotions at once. "I'm sorry… but I can't."

* * *

Karkaroff appeared with a light pop outside the address that had been sent to him. He appeared in front of a huge manor. He walked through the garden; the area had definitely seen better days. The grass was yellow and sickly, growing in tufts around the house, contrasting to the dozens of overgrown bushes with no one to maintain them. He walked to the door, a small plaque on the side. Years of rust had turned it red, but the bold imposing letters 'RIDDLE' were still easy to read. He still wondered why his master had chosen to reside in a muggle's house, but every death eater's earliest lesson was to never question their master.

Moving up the stairs, he knocked on an old ornate looking door, before a voice welcomed him in.

"Wormtail get out," the voice rasped. The small rat-like man who had been tending to his master quickly scuttled out the room.

"My lord," Karkaroff said, getting down on his knees in the front of the throne and bowing.

"Get up," he commanded. "I don't have time for this, and you must get back quickly to avoid suspicion. You know why you're here, yes?"

"You wanted to hear about the task my lord, and how the Potter boy did it."

"Yes, I did not know if I could trust what was written in the Daily Prophet that Wormtail gave me."

"He came second my lord-"

"I don't care about that you blithering idiot," Voldemort said, swiping his small disfigured hand impatiently. "Is it true. Did he take the head off that beast?"

"Yes, my lord. I'm surprised he found such a spell in Hogwarts. Dumbledore doesn't strike me as a man who'd let his students be taught that."

"No, the old fool has an aversion to the dark arts. The Potter boy is training hard for this. If the spell destroyed the dragon, he is much more powerful than I expected," he replied. "You can take your leave Igor and remember not to fail me," he said, his red eyes gleaming in the dark.

Igor nodded, leaving Voldemort alone in the room. "He has become stronger Nagini," he told, the snake who had slithered up to his throne. "We must dispose him at all costs. Harry Potter will not live."

* * *

**And there we go. Chapter 10 done. I'm really amazed by the response this has gotten. You guys are absolutely brilliant.  
And don't worry, you'll see Daphne's reasons soon. Those of you who want them together are going to have to wait just a bit longer.**

**Thanks for everything. Please continue to keep reviewing and following the story. All your reviews have been truly helpful.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_"Daphne would you be my date for the ball?" he blurted out. Once again, he had no idea what overcame him. Every time she came close to him, his mouth just didn't listen to his mind and operated on its own._

_She looked at him, her face going through multiple emotions at once. "I'm sorry… but I can't."_

* * *

The silence stretched between the two occupants in the room of requirement. Harry being utterly embarrassed by his declaration, tried to look at anywhere but the girl who just rejected him. Daphne on the other hand was thinking how to formulate her reasoning.

"Let me explain Harry," she started.

"It's really fine Daphne," Harry said quickly, not wanting to get an explanation for all the different reasons she did not want to accompany him to the ball for.

Perceptively understanding his thinking, Daphne grabbed his hand and guiding him down to the chairs they had just used when she was teaching him about politics. Wringing her hands together, she contemplated her next words as Harry looked to her confusingly. "What do you know about Slytherin politics Harry?"

"I'm sorry?" Harry said in surprise, not understanding what this had to do with their conversation.

"Just answer the question," she replied patiently.

Thinking for a few seconds about the absurdity of her question, he answered, "Well not much to be honest, but I suppose that's not a surprise. If I had to guess although, I'd say people like Malfoy who have money and has his daddy to back him up are at the top."

"Well that's half correct," Daphne replied. "You see what no one outside Slytherin really knows is that there is a hierarchy in our house. We have rules that every student gets the first time they walk into our common room. The main one being, if you have a problem, you sort it out in the common room. No other house needs to hear our dirty laundry, and at all times we need to present a united front."

"What has this got to do with the ball?"

"I'm getting to it," she responded. "Now, another important rule, is don't fraternise with enemy, and well Harry, to many in Slytherin house you're undesirable number one," she said with a small frown. "Now, you were right when you said Malfoy is pretty important because of his name, but at the same time he is still only a fourth year. Therefore, whenever there are conflicts, that need to be resolved in the house, the issues are dealt with by a few sixth and seventh years. Snape may handle big issues, but interhouse issues like this would be dealt with by them."

"So that's why you can't go with me to the ball?"

"If I were to go with you, they'd make my life unbelievably tough. No one believes Malfoy right now when he says we're friends because they don't have any proof. Well this would be undeniable proof," she huffed. Continuing at Harry's nod of understanding. "It's not just about me, they'll make Tracey and Astoria's life difficult as well, and she's only a second year… she doesn't deserve to be ostracised just because I'm her sister," she finished sadly.

"Slytherin sounds like a bundle of fun," Harry muttered sarcastically, causing Daphne to laugh and break the tension.

"Anyway, I'm sure you can find someone else to go with. You are Harry Potter, slayer of the Norwegian Ridgeback," she said with a smile, ignoring the flash of pain at the thought of him going with someone else.

"Well my first try didn't go so well…" he said with a chuckle, causing Daphne to laugh as well.

"I'm sure the next one will be more successful," she said with a smile. Getting up from the chair, she bade him goodnight before leaving the room of requirement.

Harry watched as she left, a sad smile on his face. Sighing at his misfortune for asking a girl who was unattainable by all means, he got up from the chair himself. _Great who am I going to take now?_

* * *

Remus Lupin was worried his friend was going to tear a hole in the old dusty carpet which he had nervously paced on for the last half hour. Their jobs for the order, and Sirius notoriety at the moment meant they were constantly moving around the country approaching Dumbledore's contacts and trying to initiate them into the Order. Therefore, this had been the first time in a few weeks they had been back to the ancestral home of the Blacks at 12 Grimmauld Place. While Sirius hated the reminder of his family's treatment of him, they both had agreed that for the time this was the safest place they could use when they weren't on a job for the Order.

They never thought they would have been able to get in when they first were looking for safe places to stay because Sirius believed his mother had disowned him when he was 16. Therefore, it was a huge shock to Sirius when the wards that were still activated on the house let him pass, his only answer being that his father as the head of the house must have not complied with his mother's wishes. Remus never being to the house in all the time he had been friends with Sirius was shocked at the interior. It was obvious since the death of his mother, the house had started to rot, and the crazy house elf, Kreacher, that they had found was more concerned with spewing nonsense about blood purity rather than actually clean the house.

Sirius hadn't been kidding when he said his family had been borderline psychotic. The wall on the stairs were decorated with a row of shrunken house-elf, each one being mounted on by a plaque. The library had so many books on types of magics he had never even heard about, but each seemed to offer the victim a most painful kind of death. Upon first arriving at the house, Sirius ordered Kreacher to start cleaning the house, and the elf being bound by oath had no choice to comply even as he muttered obscenities under his breath. Remus however still doubted if the elf had done any actual cleaning or if the house was beyond repair. They had even ordered him to get newspaper so that they could keep up to the date with the workings of magical Britain, Remus reminding Sirius to make the orders to Kreacher in such a way that he didn't give up who he was working for.

Therein lied the problem. Coming back last night, both Remus and Sirius had adjourned to the kitchen for a nightcap. Sirius had picked up some of the newspapers to catch up on what they had missed during their time away, and the two had sat in a comfortable silence, until Sirius suddenly spat out his firewhisky.

"Padfoot what the hell!" Moony explained, his shirt plastered with Sirius' drink. However, if his friend had heard him, he obviously hadn't cared as his eyes still stuck to the newspaper in hand.

"What could possibly be so surprising…" he said, stopping in shock as well as he read the title and following story about Harry decapitating a dragon. Since then both had hardly slept as they discussed his performance, which brought them back to the present as Remus watched his friend pace.

"Padfoot tearing into that carpet is not somehow going to make this issue go away. He survived the task didn't he, and he came in second place for it as well," not really believing what he was saying. The issue wasn't fine.

"That's not the fucking point Moony," Sirius exclaimed. "I don't care if he somehow tamed the damned thing to do his bidding. He could have still died, and we have no way of protecting him."

"Pads, you knew he was in the tournament weeks ago, why is this coming out now," Remus asked.

"I… I don't know," was his reply. The tiredness finally seeming to reach him as he sat down on the nearest armchair, his hands pulling his hair in frustration. "I guess, when Dumbledore spoke to us about the tournament, and all these new rule changes, I thought well this may be for seventh years, but Harry is the toughest kid I know so he'll be able to get through this. I didn't expect he was going to fight a bloody dragon."

Remus could only nod in agreement. They had both been terrified when they had found about Harry being in the tournament and rushed straight to Dumbledore. He had told him his theories about Voldemort but believed that with all the regulations the tournament would be safe, and Harry would get through with it. However, when asked about Voldemort's plans, the aged headmaster still had no answer. When they met with Harry, they both tried to appear strong because it wouldn't have been good to show him, they were scared.

"We need to protect him," Sirius said finally, determination lacing his voice.

"How exactly are we going to do that?" Remus asked

"I don't know, but the only way I see it happening is me getting my freedom, and I may have a few ideas, but that can be put on hold until we do something first."

"What's that?" Remus asked, confused about what could be more important at the moment than Sirius gaining his freedom.

"Do you remember the night I met him Moony?" Sirius asked, his grey haunted eyes focused on the blazing fireplace.

"Don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that," Remus answered, hanging his head in disgrace. He still berated himself for being foolish enough to forget his Wolfsbane potion, leading to Pettigrew getting away.

"I don't blame you for that Moony, you know that," Sirius said. "I meant that talk I had with Harry just before that happened."

"What about it?"

"I had asked him if he wanted to move in with me once I got my freedom, and he said yes. Ten minutes before that, he thought I had been the reason for the death of his parents, and while I know I'm his godfather, I'm still a stranger to him. Who is that readily willing to move in with a stranger?"

"Unless… they have a bad home life," Remus answered, his blood turning cold at the thought.

"Let's think about this Moony," Sirius said, turning to face his friend properly. "I understand Dumbledore's reasoning about the blood protection making sure no one with ill intent can harm him from the outside. What about ill intent from the inside?" Sirius knew Dumbledore had some major flaws. The biggest being his inability to look at the small picture. While he can understand the headmaster wanted to make sure Harry was not harmed, he could have checked up on the boy. The headmaster had some answering to do.

"You mean physical abuse?" Remus snarled at the thought.

"Physical, mental, emotional," Sirius continued, his voice grim. "You've seen Harry, do you remember James at that age? He was a good three inches taller, and definitely bigger. Harry, while not as skinny as he was in his third year, is still small."

"I noticed that Sirius when I first met him on the train," Remus said, the guilt in his voice thickening as he spoke. "When I approached Minerva about it, she claimed that she wasn't sure. I wanted to investigate more, but I couldn't show too much attention to the boy, and I desperately needed the job."

"It's not your fault," Sirius conceded. "All his problems started when I abandoned my duties that I promised James and Lily and went to seek vengeance on Wormtail."

"We can't change the past Padfoot," Remus replied. "But we can make his future better."

"The Dursleys," Sirius spat. "We need to find about his homelife. We owe it to ourselves for not being there for the majority of his life." The guilt at that statement settled into both the two occupants of the room, and they sat in silence as both punished themselves for how Harry's life turned out.

"How are we going to do it?" Remus finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Neither of us know the address of where Harry lives, and right now I do not want to go to Dumbledore because I need some more information."

"Well who else knows the address. Dumbledore himself is the only one who actually keeps it, not even Fudge himself would have it," Remus exclaimed.

"No not Fudge, but his friends would. In a letter he sent to me earlier in the summer, Harry told me that the Weasley's were going to pick him up and take him to the World Cup. If anyone knows it, its them."

"We'll have to ask the twins," Remus said, both knowing Harry wasn't on speaking terms with Hermione and Ron anymore. They knew they could trust them to keep it a secret as Harry had already confided to them about Sirius anyway.

"Let's send them a letter Moony. But we will have to ask them to keep it from Harry for now," Sirius replied, Remus nodding his understanding.

_I'm going to make up for it. I promise you Lily and Prongs_, Sirius thought as him and his last living friend drafted the letter.

* * *

"Harry you've been in a right state today," Fred asked as he and his twin brother moved to the fireplace in the common room where Harry had been doing his homework. The boy in question had been pretty mellow the last few days, but today he seemed to be in a really poor mood.

Sighing out loud, Harry looked towards the two and responded, "I still need to find a date to this stupid ball, and its two weeks away."

"Wait let me get this straight…" Fred started.

"Harry Potter…" George continued.

"The boy who lived…"

"Dragon Slayer…"

"Killer of Basilisks…"

"Defeater of dementors…"

"ALRIGHT!" Harry said, cutting them off with a half shout to stop them, even though he had a smile on his face.

"The point Harry," George said still laughing, "Is you can probably ask any girl, first all the way to seventh and they would say yes."

"Not everyone…" Harry muttered dejectedly under his breath as he turned back to work.

The twins shared a look, before Fred lowered his tone. "What happened Harry?"

"Well I asked Daphne out to the ball and she said she couldn't," he replied, trying to act nonchalant about it.

"Wait, why did you phrase it like that?" George responded.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.

"You said Daphne said she couldn't go with you instead of just saying no," George explained.

"Oh!" Harry said in understanding. "Well have you guys ever heard that Slytherins have some kind of hierarchy?" They shook their heads, and so Harry explained what Daphne had repeated to him three nights ago.

Even though he had understood her reasoning now, both teenagers seemed to be awkward around each other, and were avoiding each other. While they had both been pleasant in potions the day before, they had kept talking to a minimum and focused on their work, seemingly easier than having to talk about their last conversation. She hadn't even brought up training, and so for the last few nights it had just been Harry alone in the room of requirement working on himself.

The truth was he was annoyed with himself. If he had kept his mouth shut, there wouldn't be any of this awkwardness that had settled between them. He hadn't noticed how much Daphne had meant to him as a friend before this, and he shouldn't have tried to ruin it by asking her to the ball. With both Ron and Hermione gone in his life, Daphne took up a special place in his heart for believing in him when the rest of the school didn't. That's why he was glad for people like her, the twins and even Neville who didn't doubt him. However, now he wanted things between him and Daphne to go back to normal.

"That sucks," Fred said consolingly when Harry finished his story. "Now we feel like right prats constantly telling you how Angelina and Alicia agreed to go with us to the ball."

"I'm not upset at that," Harry chuckled. "I'm really happy for you guys," Harry said genuinely. "But even though I'm upset she didn't want to go to the ball, I still need someone else to come with me," he finished, frustrated.

"Well Harry my dear boy, you've come to the right place. Who better to find you a date, then the two studs of Hogwarts?"

"Don't think Alicia and Angelina would like to hear that, and I don't know if I have the same type as you guys," Harry said with a smirk, thinking about some of the girls the twins had dated previously.

"Ahh no worries sir," Fred replied with a smirk of his own. "If it is the shy and awkward girls you want instead, then we have the perfect solution… OI NEVILLE!" the twin shouted, causing said boy to drop his inkpot on his work as he jumped out of his seat. Harry failed to stifle his chuckle at the murderous glare Hermione sent the boys for interrupting the peace.

Neville quickly walked to the other three, his skin slightly pale from the fright he had just got. "Did you not think to just come to me?" he sighed exasperatedly.

"Now where would the fun in that be," George laughed.

"What do you guys want?" Neville said, chuckling himself.

"Well you see Mr Longbottom. We've run into a right dilemma. Harry here needs to find himself a date for Yule, and you being in his year would be the perfect man to find him the perfect date."

"If anything, shouldn't I be asking for Harry's help?" Neville asked with a smirk. "I mean he is a champion."

"Neville, it's really not an issue. Fred and George are just dicks," he said with a laugh, ignoring the mock looks of shock they had adorned on their faces. "Have you got a date yet?"

"Not yet," he said, a small blush coming over his face.

"Does Neville have a crush," Fred asked, adopting a dreaming look on his face, to which Neville playfully swatted away.

"Come on, Nev tell us," Harry pleaded.

"I'm planning on asking Hannah Abbott… you know the one from Hufflepuff," Neville said, directing his statement to Harry who nodded.

"Yeah she seems nice from any of the interactions I've ever had with her, and she's one of those people Hufflepuffs who don't glare at me for apparently pushing Cedric out of the limelight," Harry said approvingly.

"Actually, Harry… I may be able to help you," Neville suddenly said. "I'm pretty sure Hannah's best friend Susan doesn't have a date to the ball either, and it would actually help me if you could ask her while I'm asking Hannah, because those two are always stuck at the hip and this could be my chance to get her alone."

Harry thought about it for a moment. He didn't know Susan very well, or at all to be honest, just a few passing pleasantries. She was in his ancient runes class, and just like her friend Hannah didn't seem to treat him badly even though she was in Hufflepuff. Yet he still couldn't stop comparing her to a certain blonde hair, blue eyed beauty. Shaking his head of all thoughts about Daphne, he gave his reply to Neville. "You know what Nev, that's actually a great idea."

Neville's face broke into a relieved smile at Harry's reply. "Is tomorrow good for you? I'm meeting Hannah and Susan in the library to do the Care of Magical creatures homework, and you can definitely come along."

Harry nodded his agreement, and ignoring the teasing he got from the twins, got back to his work.

* * *

The same night saw Albus Dumbledore walk past the gates of Hogwarts, and onto the path towards Hogsmeade. He easily had faster ways of getting to his destination, but at his age he never underestimated the powerful calming effects a nice long walk could have for the mind and soul, especially with the way his last few weeks had been. His deputy headmistress had been effectively running the school this year with the amount he had been away, and there was no woman he held more admiration for than Minerva McGonagall. She took everything in her stride, taking her job with the utmost of importance, and she understood that he was busy.

However, what the last few weeks had shown, what he himself had known for so long was that no one was ready for the return of Voldemort. His position as Chief Warlock meant he was privy to certain information about the Ministry that most didn't have the access to, and all it told him was when Voldemort got power, the Ministry would be futile in stopping him. The question was not whether Voldemort was coming back, but when he was coming back, and the uncertainty of the question was problematic for the aged headmaster.

Then there was his Order, the only force he believed that could actually cause Voldemort problems and mount some kind of defence, but even there he lacked the firepower to hold him back when he regained the power of his forces. What he had never admitted to anyone, but then at the same time he believed that others knew it as well, if it had not been for the sacrifice of Harry's parents, there would have been no stopping Voldemort. He sighed as he pondered the morality of people. They would easily flock to Voldemort's promises of power and gold, having no idea what they were getting into by following a tyrant who saw everyone except himself as indispensable. Therein lied his own issues. The Order could not promise people any of this. Instead it survived on the willingness and bravery of people to risk their lives on a daily basis in stopping such a tyrant, and there weren't enough witches and wizards willing to do that.

Reaching the main street of Hogsmeade, he diverted from the main path, onto the road less travelled by the students at his school and arrived at his destination. The Hogs Head Inn had been an establishment in Hogsmeade for the last seventy years, and perhaps was one of the oldest buildings in the entire village. The crudely painted snarling Hog still remained outside, which Albus mentally cringed at. The lack of renovation of this place astounded him, but the cheap prices and the barman kept him coming here rather than the newer and cleaner Three Broomsticks Inn.

Walking inside he looked around. The room was sparsely populated, the drinkers mostly keeping to themselves in dark corners of the room where they couldn't be seen. However, he had eyes for none of them, instead locking onto a set of identical piercing blue eyes.

"Aberforth," Albus said cordially, taking a seat at the empty stool near the bar.

"Albus," the bartender replied, matching his brother's hushed tone, however in a much stiffer manner. "What can I do for you?"

"I must confess my trip here isn't one to catch up on pleasantries," the headmaster replied as his brother poured him his usual drink.

"It never is," Aberforth replied gruffly. "Ergo my topic question – what can I do for you Albus?"

"This is a matter of the utmost secrecy, and one can never be too sure of prying ears," he said giving his brother a wary look. Aberforth understood immediately, remembering how he had to throw out an eavesdropping Severus Snape many years ago.

"Fine. We'll go to my personal chambers," he said, walking out from behind the bar. Albus followed his brother upstairs to the highest floor. They entered into the room, the headmaster being her only on a very few occasions was not surprised to see that nothing had changed from the last time he visited. His brother did not seem to enjoy changing anything, whether that be in his bar or his apartment.

"Now what could be so important that we must discuss it here," Aberforth said wearily conjuring two chairs for the two of them. Albus said nothing immediately. Pulling his wand out, he flicked his hand at the door, casting imperturbable charm and an assortment of various protection barriers. Aberforth, raised his eyebrow but said nothing as his brother sat down on the other chair and waited for him to speak.

"Many years ago, you informed me that a group of young men going by the names of Nott, Dolohov, Mulciber and Rosier waited in that very room downstairs as their boss came to me requesting a job."

"I remember clearly Albus. However, we both know who their boss is, and therefore I don't understand your need for subtlety at the moment," Aberforth replied exasperatedly.

"My apologies. When Tom Riddle came for the job, he, and I both knew he would never get it, failing again for the second time to secure a professorship. While, at the time I thought of it inconsequential, it has now come to my attention that it was a ruse for something much more nefarious at the time. We both know where I am now going with this." Albus didn't doubt his brothers intelligence one bit, and it would be an insult to do so.

Aberforth nodded. "And how do you know I even paid attention to what the men spoke about that day."

"Because you wouldn't have warned me about their presence if you had not. Did Tom come back to the inn to meet his men?"

"He did. And so, we have come to the purpose of your trip. You need to acquire the memory."

"It is incredibly important," Albus replied.

"It always is, isn't it Albus. I understand you are a man of importance in itself, and I do not doubt the role you will have to play in the coming years if I understand what this meeting is all about," he said pointedly. "But it is also this importance in the world that you had with Grindelwald, and we both know how that ended," he said stifling the emotion he felt as the two brothers looked towards the portrait of our sister in the room.

"You think I don't know this Aberforth," Albus said quietly. "I am not the same power-hungry man I was in my youth, and I know I still make my mistakes, and we can both know how big those can be. However, I know there is only one other person apart from me who can guide us in the dark times of the future. But until he is strong enough for that role and believe me, I will help him get there if it is the last thing I do, I am the only one with the power to restrain Voldemort."

"Even I have to confess you are right, even though it pains me to admit it," Aberforth said with a small smirk. "However, in the end remember the boy is a person. He is not a chess piece to be manipulated just because he himself doesn't understand the importance he has," he said roughly, to which Albus nodded his head wearily, knowing his brother was completely right.

"Anyway," Aberforth continued. Pointing his wand to a section of the wall, it parted and brought forward a pensieve, a birthday gift Albus had given him many years ago. Pouring the memory into it, he turned around and faced his brother. "This has my view of the events. I need to go down and tend to the bar. I hope it provides you with the knowledge you seek Albus."

Albus spoke just before his brother exited the room, "I truly am sorry Aberforth."

"I know Albus," the barman replied without turning around, and shut the door behind him.

Shaking the sadness and guilt he felt at his brothers' tone, the headmaster walked towards the pensieve before promptly sticking a finger inside and felt himself being dragged towards the memory.

He appeared in the year 1957 into the same bar he had just come from, albeit this one was cleaner and in less need of dire maintenance. He spotted his much younger looking brother at the bar, cleaning the table, while subtly peering at the four men at the corner. Aberforth had always kept his beard short and the lack of a crooked nose like Albus (which amusedly Aberforth had caused), it was only their eyes that could give them away as brothers.

Intrigued that he could hear their table from this distance, Albus understood that Aberforth had placed a very complex listening charm at the table, one that would be very difficult to find, unless the person was careful enough to search. Obviously, Mulciber, Nott, Rosier and Dolohov thought there would be no need to check for such charms and were whispering between each other.

"He's been gone for more than an hour," Mulciber huffed, swirling his firewhisky in the glass. "I do not understand why he would want a job under that muggle loving fool Dumbledore anyway."

"Patience was never your strong suit was it Daniel," Nott said lazily.

Dolohov chuckled slightly at this. "He will be back soon, do not fret. But it is not our role to question why our lord does what he does. There is a reason."

"Haven't been back here in ages," Rosier added after a few moments of silence. "Hasn't changed must has it."

"Not at all," Mulciber scoffed. "But that new inn on the main street is probably full of mudbloods and half-bloods anyway. This may be a shithole, but at least it isn't filled with those sorts."

"He has come," Nott said cutting off the tirade his friend would probably start.

Each one of them stood up as Dumbledore saw a much younger looking Tom Riddle walk in with a small smile on his face. However, this one had lost all his handsomeness. His features appeared waxy and burnt. He still did not have the scarlet eyes that would later cause the mass of terror when he appeared, but he had long gone from the man he started as. He took the empty seat next to his four subordinates and faced them. Dumbledore chuckled lightly at this. The Tom Riddle here had still not reached the same level of paranoia as he would in the next two decades, and seemed content to talk in the bar without fear of anyone listening in.

"My Lord did you receive the job?" Dolohov asked, not being able to keep the small tint of surprise out his voice as he saw the smile on Voldemort's face.

"No, I'm afraid I did not gentlemen," Riddle replied, however the small smile on his face remained there. Dumbledore knew no good had come out of that smile. What had he missed from that confrontation with Tom in his office?

"Why is it that you seem happy with the outcome then?" Nott asked.

"I had no doubt that Dumbledore would not give me the job. I just needed a reason to get into the castle when there are no students looming around," Riddle replied calmly. Both Albus, and the memory of Aberforth had similar expressions on their face. What did he need in the castle? Thankfully Albus' question was asked by Mulciber.

"What did you need in the castle?" Mulciber asked, looking confused.

"I needed nothing, however there is no place better than Hogwarts for hiding objects that should never be found," Riddle finished ambiguously. "However, that is a concern of mine. I thank you men for waiting here, but it is time we make our exit, there is much to do."

Standing up, he headed to the bar dropping a galleon down on the table. "For my compatriots and me," Tom said looking at Aberforth. There was a slight tension as Tom looked into his eyes, and Albus felt his blood run cold, instinctively reaching for his wand even though it was a memory. However, the tension ended as quickly as it started, and Tom turned away as Dumbledore was plunged out of the memory.

His breathing was slightly heavier as he appeared back in his brothers room, trying to think of the implications of Voldemort's words: There is no place better than Hogwarts for hiding objects that should never be found.

Albus knew by no means did he know the full secrets of Hogwarts and all it had to offer, and he had been there for decades. He would need more time to think on this. Walking back downstairs to the bar, he gave his brother a small nod before turning out and taking the path back to Hogwarts.

* * *

The next morning, Harry was having breakfast with the twins and Lee. Since it was the weekend, breakfast stayed open for longer in the great hall, and most students took the opportunity to lounge in and chat with their friends. It was also the day Harry had promised Neville that he'd come with him to the library, and he still had a tinge of nervousness about his date. While Neville assured him that Susan would say yes to him, he couldn't help but think that just like Daphne she'd say no. He shook those thoughts out of his head, but no matter how many times he did that his mind would still go back to thinking about his Slytherin friend.

"Oi!" Harry exclaimed as Fred flicked him in the shoulder. "What was that for you prat?"

"Because you weren't listening to us," Fred replied, not bothered by what he had done.

"Sorry. What were you talking about?"

"Our plans for winter," George said. "The train leaves the day after the Yule Ball, and this year everyone's going to be here for Christmas. Bill and Charlie haven't been in years. So, have you decided if you're going to come? You know mum and dad would love to have you."

Sighing, Harry already knew his answer. "I'm sure it'll be great, but things between me and Ron aren't good at all, and I know if I'm there it's going to put unneeded tension."

"We can control Ron. Plus, mum will go mental if he treats you badly."

"Exactly my point. Ron is your family. I am not. He shouldn't need to walk on eggshells just because I'm around. Also, your whole family is going to be there, and it would be better if you spent together as a family." Seeing that they were probably going to argue, Harry cut them off, "Plus, I've already signed the sheet saying I'm staying, you guys aren't going to change my mind."

"We're going to miss you," George said dramatically wiping a fake tear from his face, as Fred made mock sniffling noises. Harry knew they were joking, but also knew they were sincere about it, prompting a genuine smile on his face.

They talked for a few more minutes before the screech of the morning owls took over the room. Surprisingly, this week he had received a package which was unusual for him. The only mail he really got were letters from Sirius and Remus, so he was surprised that it hadn't come from them. On the other side of the table, Fred and George seemed to have received a mail as well, which they both seemed confused about as well. Unbeknownst to Harry, his uncle and Godfather had written a letter, only it wasn't to him this time.

Harry opened the package, only for a knife to fall out. "Holy shit!" Harry exclaimed as he examined it. He picked up the knife and examined it, pulling the cover of the blade off. The blade was around seven inches long and looked to be made out of some kind of steel. The handle had an unusual pattern on it, black with red swirls on it.

"I think that's a very fancy way of making a death threat," Lee spoke up, prompting Harry to chuckle. "Look, there's a letter that came with it." Picking up the letter that had fallen when he opened the package, Harry read:

_Dear Harry,_

_I promised Fred and George that I would give you a token of my appreciation for your generous donation to the sanctuary. This blade has been constructed completely from the Hungarian Horntail that you killed. The handle is made from its hide, while the blade was constructed from a part of his tooth. A dragon tooth is massive by itself, so it took some time to cut it down and form it into a shape of a blade, but it was completely worth it. A dragon is a magical creature, so the blade will never need sharpening. Use it safely!_

_Charlie_

"That is so cool!" Fred said, who had finally looked up from the letter they had received to look at the knife. Harry was pretty sure the scrawl on their letter looked familiar – most probably their mum, he thought.

"It really is," Harry said passing them the letter from their brother. "I need to go stow this away, and then meet Neville at the library," Harry said, standing up.

"Good luck Mr Potter," George said with a sly wink, laughing as Harry stuck out the middle finger at them.

Walking out from the great hall, he quickly walked to the Gryffindor common room, taking as many shortcuts as he could because he was running late to meet Neville. Reaching into his dormitory, he went to his trunk and stowed the blade safely in his compartment, not sure what he could do with it now. Leaving the room, he suddenly turned back remembering that he still need to get his Care of Magical Creatures stuff even if it was a ruse for the two boys to ask the girls for a date. Rushing down to the common room, he saw Neville waiting for him by the exit.

"Ready?" Neville said.

"I hope so. Let's get ourselves some dates," he said patting Neville on the back as they walked out.

"So how exactly are we getting the girls alone so we can ask them?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence.

"Well… I thought about this last night, and I think I have an idea. Hannah really likes Herbology, so after doing the homework, I'm planning on asking her if she wants to come and see my extra credit work in the greenhouse. I'll ask her on the way there, and that'll leave you alone with Susan in the library."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry said pushing the nervousness down and remembering Gryffindors are supposed to be brave.

They reached the library, and Harry followed Neville as he guided him towards the stacks to one of the tables at the back, where Hannah and Susan were already sitting. Greeting the two, the group started on their work straightaway, talking sometimes when another person needed help or there were disagreements in answers. An hour passed before they were all done, Harry finishing his last sentence with a flourish and putting his quill done.

"Think that'll do," Hannah said smiling at Neville. Harry concealed a smirk at that. He had noticed the two sharing glances when the other wasn't looking and knew Hannah was going to definitely agree to go with him.

"Think so too," Neville agreed. "That wasn't so bad. By the way Hannah, I know we were talking about my herbology project a few days ago and wondered if you wanted to come check it out?" he finished.

Hannah agreed with a bright smile, with only Harry noticing the smirk Susan was giving her friend. The two walked off leaving Susan with Harry, who was also gaining his courage to try and ask her.

"They'll make a cute couple," Susan said, breaking the silence.

"You knew Nev was going to ask her?" Harry smirked.

"It was pretty obvious. Those two gaze at each other all the time, and they're the only people I've ever met with such passion for Herbology. Well not including Sprout, but I doubt Neville would ask her," she joked causing Harry to laugh loudly.

"Well if you noticed that, then I can guess you know why I'm here?" Harry replied, his courage coming out.

"Maybe… but then you'll have to ask your question for me to know my assumption was correct," Susan said back with a small smile.

"Susan, would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Her smile grew a bit bigger before she replied. "I would love to."

The two conversed for a bit longer before Susan left back to the common room. She was a nice girl Harry decided as she watched her retreating figure. She was pretty fun to hang around with, and she had a good sense of humour as well.

_So why do I still keep thinking about Daphne?_

* * *

**Well that's chapter 11, after a lot of months. I am pretty terrible with consistency, aren't I? But this is the summer vacation, and with a pandemic going on there's nothing better than writing a story.**

**Hope you guys enjoy this one and don't forget to leave a review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

With Christmas nearing, London had gone through its usual transformation. The ancient capital was drizzled all over with snow. People were in a more festive mood, looking towards a relaxing holidays; with streets being decorated with lights and ornaments as the population impatiently waited to enjoy the celebrations. However, 12 Grimmauld Place in London did not share in the festivities this time of year, nor were the occupants in a joyous mood as they stayed preoccupied with more important matters.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this plan?" a worried Remus spoke to his best friend.

"We both know there's no better alternative. We've got the address from Fred and George, and its best done while the muggle school year is still in session. Otherwise, we'll have to wait till January," Sirius replied adamantly from across the dining table at 12 Grimmauld Place.

"I understand that time is of the essence, but what if you get spotted. Even the muggle government was notified of your escape and people may know what you look like," Remus replied, casting his doubts again.

"It's a risk we'll have to take, and plus we'll be altering our appearances." Speaking again before Remus replied, he continued, "Moony we're leaving in an hour and that's it. Don't worry about me."

Sighing before he spoke, "You're right. Harry's needs come before my worries. We've got to do this."

Sirius nodded in agreement. Harry's needs came before anything right now.

Their plan was a simple but effective one. Two days after they sent their letter to the twins, they had received a reply back telling them the address and a promise from the twins not to let Harry know they were contacted by Remus and Sirius. Really, the plan had mostly been Remus' who knew far more about the muggle world than Sirius did.

They decided to do it on a Friday morning because as Remus had told Sirius, muggle schools were still going through their term so that would mean their son wouldn't be around. They also knew that there was a high chance Vernon was at work too which just left one person to deal with. Sirius suggested stunning her while they examined the house and then obliviating her memory, but it was too risky a chance in case someone saw the spell being cast through the window. There came in Remus' bright muggle idea that would help them get in without too much hassle - but they would have to be quick about it.

"Right, so here's the mirror," Sirius said, handing him the old marauder use of communication.

"Well let me change your appearance then," Remus said, sticking the mirror in his pocket. Pointing his wand at Sirius, he shortened the man's hair, and changed the colour from a dark black to a lighter brown. He rotated his wand to make Sirius have a slightly chubbier face rather than the sallow malnourished look he still had. Most importantly he changed the colour of his eyes to a dark brown instead of the dead giveaway of his stormy grey colour.

Sirius returned the favour to Remus, and soon neither marauder looked anything like their usual selves. Nodding to each other briefly, Sirius cast a disillusionment charm on himself, wishing he had James' old invisibility cloak with them which would have hid him far better, and apparated to his respective locations. Remus didn't need to disillusion himself just yet, and apparated to a different location. They knew there was no need to disillusion themselves since they changed their appearance, but Remus still made sure they did it to cover all bases.

Apparating with a crack, Sirius landed at Wisteria walk a street away, and made the short walk to the front of 4 Privet Drive. Making sure there was no one around, he pulled out his mirror and spoke to it, "Remus."

His friend's face appeared in the mirror. "Remus, I can see dear Petunia inside from the front window. From the looks of it she's cleaning the living room with some kind of muggle contraption. It looks absolutely bizarre," Sirius said looking at the machine in amazement.

Remus chuckled in reply, "Think that's a vacuum cleaner Padfoot. I'm going to make the call now."

"You've got this," Sirius said, before putting his mirror away. A few miles away, Remus repeated the action.

Remus' side of the plan was simple, and all it involved was using muggle technology and he thanked the fact that being a half blood helped in this situation. Upon receiving the reply of Fred and George, their only worry was how they would handle Petunia being there. All Sirius plans seemed to be slightly violent and more confrontational, but Remus believed his idea worked best.

The day after receiving the letter, Remus had gone and bought himself a phonebook. After numerous explanations of the technology to Sirius, Remus had convinced him his plan would be better than attacking the woman. He took out the page he had ripped from the phonebook and walked into a telephone booth. Dialling the number, he begged that it was correct and waited for a few nerve-racking seconds, before he heard the receiver being picked up.

"Hello?" the voice of Petunia Dursley said, and Remus had to keep himself from shouting in excitement that it was her.

"Hello is this Petunia Dursley?" Remus replied, changing his accent slightly.

"Yes, what may I do for you?" Petunia replied, sounding wary.

"I'm Mr Roberts and I am calling from your son, Dudley's school," Remus replied smoothly, thankful he remembered the name of her son after all those years when Lily had first spoken about him. "I'm sorry to have to contact you like this, but Dudley has had an accident in school and is currently with the heal- nurse," Remus added, cursing himself silently for making such a mistake.

However, thankfully Petunia was too distracted by the thought of her son being hurt to have noticed. "What happened to my Dudley!" Petunia replied, her voice on the edge of a screech. Remus was thankful to his years of pranking in school that allowed him not to laugh at the tone of her voice.

"The nurse tells me he had a nasty fall, and it would be appreciated if you would come by and pick him up."

"I'll be there right away!" Petunia almost shouted as the receiver was banged down. Remus hung up the phone and couldn't help but laugh at the thought of a deranged Petunia turning up to her school to ask for her injured son and wanting to speak to a Mr Roberts, only for her to find out none of it was true.

Picking up his communication mirror he called Sirius back.

"Merlin, what did you say to the poor woman?" Sirius whispered in laughter.

"I'm guessing it worked?"

"It did indeed, she frantically ran up the stairs and she's just come back down… and she's leaving," Sirius replied as he watched Petunia lock her door and go to her car. _Talk about an obsessive mother._ His mother would have probably been glad if Hogwarts had called saying he was injured.

"She's just left Moony. Quickly disillusion yourself and get over here now!"

A few minutes later, and the disillusioned form of Remus appeared next to Sirius. "We've got to get this done quickly," Remus urged. "We have no idea how far her son's school is from here and we don't have time to waste."

Sirius nodded in reply and the two walked towards the house. Remus quickly looked around, once again making sure they were alone before pulling out his wand and taking a diagnosis of the wards.

"Well it doesn't seem Dumbledore put anything except the blood protection for any that want to cause Harry harm, but then again this is Dumbledore and there could be more subtle wards I can't detect," Remus sighed. "You sure you still want to go through with this?"

"Positive," Sirius replied, quickly sending out a short-lasting muggle repelling charm to ensure there would be no disruptions while they were in the house.

The two walked to the front door, and Sirius kept a lookout as Remus whispered a quick alohomora, and the two were soon in.

"Jeez, Petunia really does keep a neat house. Kreacher could learn a thing or two," Sirius spoke aloud as they closed the door behind them. Remus chuckled in response.

"There are two floors. I'll go upstairs, you stay down here. We've got to move fast," Remus spoke, getting a nod of confirmation from Sirius in reply.

Walking upstairs, Remus tried to get his bearings. He walked to the room nearest to the stairs and opened it. This must have been their son's room he gauged looking at all the muggle technology inside, and the posters strewn across the walls. Having worked in the muggle world for quite a long time due to his werewolf affliction, he understood that the Dursley's really spent money on their son. Everything in the room looked top of the line, and it was obvious Dudley didn't really treat his materials well, with many expensive items cast on the floor with disregard. Opening the closet, he confirmed another suspicion. The clothes here were high quality – it was obvious just from this what the Dursley's thought of Harry giving him the worst possible castoffs for him to wear. Closing it in disgust, he left quickly.

The next room was Vernon's and Petunia's, and he closed it quickly, finding no need to go into it. Finally, he reached the last door, knowing this would be Harry's.

"What in Merlin's name is this," he said out loud, his voice filled with rage as he saw a cat flap installed on the door. _Do the Dursley's feed him food through this_? The thought of Harry being treated like an animal, brought a rage he had not felt in a long time, and his eyes tinted with a feral glint he only got when the full moon was around. He opened the door, and walked in. The contrast between Dudley and Harry's room couldn't have been greater. There was light layer of dust across the room - obviously Petunia saw no need in cleaning this room while Harry was away. The room was tiny compared to the others, and the furniture was beyond repair. The desk had only three legs, with Harry using muggle books to keep it propped up. The bed had a flimsy mattress that looked older than him, while the duvet was so thin there was no way it kept him warm during the winter.

Looking under the bed he spotted a loose wooden plank. Propping it open he found nothing. However, smelling the remnant smell, having a much stronger sense of smell than the average human, told him that Harry hid sweets here, probably so he could eat more food when the Dursley's didn't give him enough. Noticing something on the window he walked towards it. There had obviously been fittings on it, but they seemed to be ripped out pretty crudely. _Who would put fittings in such a fashion? _Remus thought to himself. The only answer he could think of was that the Dursley's had blockaded it in some way – probably because they knew Harry could receive mail by owl.

His anger washed away into guilt as he thought of the tribunals the Dursley's must have put Harry through. His reverie was knocking out by loud footsteps stomping up the stairs. "Moony!" Sirius called, his voice in disarray.

Rushing out the room, he replied, "What is it?"

"Just come downstairs, now," he seethed.

Remus followed his friend, knowing only something very bad could have put his friend in this state. But from what he had saw upstairs, he didn't think he could be surprised anymore – how wrong he was.

"What is it Padfoot?" Remus asked as he got downstairs.

"I have no words," was the only reply he got, as Sirius pointed to the cupboard under the stairs. His blood turned cold at the thought of what Sirius meant, as he bent down and propped himself into the cupboard.

The cupboard couldn't have been more than two metres wide. A mixture of sawdust and spiderwebs covered the majority of the tiny area. There was a tiny mattress stuffed inside filled with holes and a small shelf at the head of the mattress filled with small broken figurines.

"What is this?" Remus turned around to face Sirius. Had Sirius not been disillusioned, Remus would have seen the tears that had formed in his eyes.

"Look at the inscription under the shelf," Sirius spoke quietly, a maelstrom of emotions in his voice.

Looking in the room once again, his eyes focused on the shelf, where there was writing – "Harry's room" and another one next to it, "Happy Birthday Harry," with a tally inscribed underneath it amounting to ten.

"Are you saying –" Remus spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes… until he was ten years old, Harry lived here," Sirius said, continuing Remus' thought.

"I'll kill them," Remus snarled, as vicious thoughts of murdering the Dursley's came to his head.

"I must say… I find myself utterly surprised," a new voice came from behind undoing the disillusionment of the two wizards, causing Remus and Sirius to turn in a flurry and point their wands at the sound.

"Dumbledore!" Sirius scoffed as he looked upon the aged headmaster. "What the hell are you doing here?" Sirius seethed; his voice filled with pure venom.

"Shouldn't the question be why are you here?" Dumbledore replied warily as he heard the tone of his voice.

"I should curse you where you stand," Sirius replied gruffly, all traces of the funny marauder gone, replaced by a man who had spent twelve years wrongfully imprisoned.

"Stop Padfoot," Remus said intervening; however, his voice was laced with the same anger projected towards the headmaster. "Just look inside Albus," he finished, looking at the headmaster, shock adorning his aged face as he tried to understand the reason for Sirius's anger.

Dumbledore nodded in response, knowing it was wise to not reply anything for the time being. Looking inside the cupboard, his face replicated the emotions of both Sirius and Remus when they had first looked inside. The guilt he felt strangled him, his breathing shallow at the thought of what had happened in this house.

Pulling himself out the cupboard, he faced the two individuals: feeling the rage permeating of them. "It would be better if we talked elsewhere. It would not be wise for Petunia to walk in on us."

"That's probably for the best," Remus snipped. "You know where to find us," he said apparating away with Sirius. Dumbledore sighed, preparing himself for a confrontation he wholeheartedly deserved and apparated to 12 Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Dumbledore walked into the dusty dining room, to find Remus and Sirius already seated, a bottle of firewhisky between them. From the looks of it, Sirius had already gulped down a glass. They had changed their appearance back to normal, and Sirius looked at him with pure malice as he stepped in. Taking the seat at the head of table, he stayed silent, not knowing what to say first.

Thankfully, for Dumbledore, Sirius was in no mood to play games and started speaking, "First off, how did you know we were at the Dursleys?"

Dumbledore conjured a glass for himself and poured in a healthy amount. Taking a sip, he replied, "When I first made the decision to place Harry at his aunt and uncle's, I had promised them both that I would make sure that no magical folk disturbed them. This included me, but I knew that it was a vital condition for them to agree in letting Harry stay them, but in hindsight I should have realised that condition could have told me enough about their treatment towards him. At the same time, I refused to leave him completely away from any supervision, and convinced Arabella Figg to move in close by where she could have some contact with the boy and keep a watch if anyone came to search for him."

"The squib from the order?" Remus asked confusingly, remembering the old cat lover.

Dumbledore nodded, taking another drink from his glass. "As you know her husband was a wizard but died in the first war and she was destitute," he said sadly. "So, I promised to pay her rent for a few years until she settled in and in return I chose where she stayed, and she agreed. Today when the two of you apparated to Wisteria Walk she heard the tell-tale noise of apparition and flooed me immediately. I was not worried however, because the wards wouldn't allow anyone of ill intent and Harry is at school. However, when my more obscure ward altered me someone entered the house, I rushed there, and we all know the rest…"

"That's all you fucking did," Sirius spat, his temper finally reaching a boiling point. "Left a squib to look after Harry – well a damn good job she did," he replied sardonically. "How could you!" he said banging his hand on the table. "You knew… you damn well knew what Lily's sister was like… and you left him there as a child to fend for himself, not understanding why his cousin was loved but he was treated like filth," he finished loudly, silence following his words.

"I do not disagree with you," Dumbledore said finally. It was obviously not what Remus or Sirius expected as a response, thinking he would state what he had done was best. "I know what I did was wrong, and I will carry this grievance to my grave, but please see it in your hearts to let me explain why I did it."

Both stayed silent for long, both seemingly trying to assess the sincerity of the headmaster. "Fine," Remus replied softly, his voice still filled with rage.

"The Halloween night of 81' had been a terrible ordeal for me. Not had Harry just become orphaned, but two of my favourite students had been murdered. Of course, Britain celebrated, but when I visited the remnants of the house, I knew he had not truly been killed. To be honest it had been obvious, there was no body found, however the ministry were tired of fighting the war and called it a celebration. This callous behaviour of theirs was also the reason you never got your trial, and no one was the any wiser," Dumbledore looked at Sirius poignantly.

"I of course still bear that burden onto myself, thinking at the time the Ministry would at least uphold justice and give you the trial, especially as you were a pureblood, but I was not Chief Warlock at the time, but I digress. Now, with you gone, Harry's godfather was gone, and the best chance of his home had gone too. Of course, I did think of Remus being James' best friend, but the truth was you were also unsuitable," Dumbledore said, waving off Remus' protest.

"Let me explain… while I know you would have also been an amazing guardian for Harry, you would have raised him in the magical world, and once truth got out it was a werewolf who was the guardian of the saviour of Britain, both your lives would be in danger, and you know this is true as much as we all hate the prejudice against you."

Remus nodded in agreement, knowing as angry as he was with the headmaster, he couldn't refute his words knowing it was the truth. Taking a side glance at Sirius, he saw his friend looking intently at the headmaster, his eyes still showing his anger.

"Therefore, what do I do in this situation? Sirius was gone, Remus was gone, and while I had considered other magical families, the situation was too dire. The Longbottom's had been murdered, and the next few weeks many of Voldemort's top death eaters got off scot free blaming the Imperius. At that point, I had believed myself right in putting Harry with his aunt and uncle because none of Voldemort's followers knew enough about the muggle world to venture into it for revenge. Then there was also because of the protection of his mother being the most important factor, and there was only one living person who shared Lily's blood."

"Petunia," Sirius scoffed.

"Exactly… and now I had put him there, knowing that while it was a shame he was away from the magical world, he was also safe from it. However, I had never thought a baby, an innocent child could be treated in such a manner. I believed while Petunia disliked magic, she wouldn't treat an innocent child with such malice. Alas, perhaps it was also the influence of Vernon on her, but I will not know. But I have lived a long long life and trust me when I say I have regrets. But, learning what I have today, this is my biggest one," Dumbledore finished, gulping down the remaining of his drink.

The silence remained for a long time, as both marauders processed the words. "I understand your reasoning…" Sirius started, "…but I will not forgive it. You could have checked up on him at least once or sent someone a bit more intelligent than Figg. You could have seen how thin he was and the state of his clothes when he first came into Hogwarts. Lily's protection might have saved him from death eaters and whatnot, but it didn't save him from the inside. You have lost my respect today Dumbledore."

"And that's not all Albus," Remus added. "What you and Sirius saw was his life until he was ten, but it doesn't get any better," Remus said explaining what he had saw upstairs.

"A cat flap and a blockade," Sirius said weakly, tears once again forming in his eyes, something that was mirrored in Dumbledore's blue orbs as they listened to Remus.

"You were a man I've always held in high regard Albus – you gave me an education when most would not and I will never forget that, but I can't forgive you either."

"I don't expect either of you to forgive me when even I can't forgive myself," Dumbledore replied, wiping the tears from his eyes. "But I vow to earn it back, and not just yours but Harry's as well, and it is time I use my power to help."

"What do you mean?" Remus replied.

"It is obvious to me, why you two were there. You need Sirius' freedom," knowing he was correct as both nodded to him. "Well I shall help, and with no offence to either of you, I am the best one for getting you free," he answered.

"I can't argue with that," Sirius replied scathingly, his ire at the headmaster still there. "But how do we do it? Find Wormtail?"

"No that would be highly improbable. From what Harry's dream told me; if you want to find Peter, then you'd have to also find Voldemort and you will not find him. I have an idea of how we can do it without Peter, but I need some time to formulate a plan that will use all my political acumen to succeed."

"I guess you're right," Remus replied, a nod of agreement with Sirius. "We won't find the rat, but you'll need to keep us updated."

"You will be notified as soon as I have a more concrete idea," Dumbledore vowed, standing up. "I shall make my leave now. I am truly sorry, and I hope we can work towards a better relationship," he said finally, leaving.

Both marauders were silent for a moment, before Remus spoke up, "So what do you think?"

"The fact is, he's right," Sirius replied unwillingly. "At this moment in time, Dumbledore is the only one with enough power and leverage who could get me my freedom."

"I guess you're right."

"It doesn't mean I forgive him though, and who know if there's more he's hiding from us. I do believe deep down he is a good man, but he is too set in his ways, and only time can tell if I could ever trust him again."

* * *

Daphne looked in the mirror as she adjusted the strap of her dress, making sure she wasn't being too revealing with her outfit even though it was a pretty modest dress. She checked her makeup one more time, even though she had put very little, never having to douse herself in the stuff like her roommate Pansy.

"Ready?" Tracey's voice came from behind her. Daphne nodded, turning around to face her best friend.

"Someone's pulled out all the stops," Daphne said, giving Tracey an approving smile at her outfit.

"Well how often do we get to dress up at Hogwarts. You don't look too bad yourself," Tracey replied with an over-dramatic saucy wink.

Daphne just smiled in return, an action she hadn't done much in recent weeks. It had all started with Harry asking her out to the ball. She had wanted to say yes, she was so close, but then thoughts of her sister and Tracey came crashing into that reality. She wouldn't make the lives of her sister and friends difficult because she went out with a Gryffindor.

It would have been the same for anyone in her house. Merlin knows what would happen to Tracey if she was seen with a Gryffindor. She was already treated badly because she was a half-blood, something like this would completely ruin her life. Thankfully, Tracey was going with some fourth year Ravenclaw Kevin Entwhistle, who seemed like a nice bloke. She had just wished she could say the same for herself.

It had been hard for her after that night in the room of requirement. She felt terrible about it, but she knew he didn't deserve the hardship either. But it was tough not seeing him at all. The few passing comments they made in potions was strained and kept strictly to work. She missed him, she knew that much, but he was just a friend. But she knew now that the training she had done with him had only been so fun, because of him. She also missed educating him about the wizarding world, even though they only had one lesson. It was fun for her to be the teacher this time around, when usually it was him helping her with spells.

She had known in the end that she would still need to get a date for the ball, but no matter how many times a boy asked her, her mind would automatically compare them to Harry and they always seemed to fall short. She hated herself for showing so much weakness for just one boy, but she couldn't help herself. It had been hard for her. Hard when Tracey had informed her that Harry had asked out Susan Bones which had spread through the Hogwarts gossip mill in a few hours. Of course, she knew Susan. The Bones were a pureblood family after all, and at any high ranking Wizengamot party she had been to, the Bones family were usually there, so she did have a somewhat friendly relationship with the Hufflepuff. While it had stung, she knew Harry had to get a date being a champion, and it was all the incentive she needed to just say yes to a boy.

She had ended up agreeing to go with a Durmstrang boy - Ilya. You could call him handsome she guessed, and he had an alright smile… there was just something missing. She knew nothing would come of tonight anyway, and one of the reasons she agreed was that he was from Durmstrang and would leave at the end of the year anyway. Pushing these thoughts away, she looked into the mirror one last time before leaving the dormitory with Tracey.

"Is Kevin coming to the dungeons to pick you up?" Daphne asked Tracey as they reached the common room.

"No, didn't want to scare the poor boy by coming down here. Plus, the dungeon lighting is very unflattering for my looks," she joked, prompting a laugh from Daphne.

"What about Ilya?" Tracey inquired.

"Told him to just meet by outside the Great Hall. He probably doesn't know the layout of the castle very well anyway."

They walked to the Great Hall. Kevin was already waiting outside looking slightly nervous as he saw Tracey.

"Wow… you look very nice… I mean great… I mean," he stammered. Daphne tried to stifle a giggle, getting a glare from Tracey.

"Thanks Kevin. You look quite nice and great too," she joked, making Kevin laugh.

"Shall we?" he replied, holding out his hand.

"I'll see you later Daphne," Tracey smiled, while Daphne waved a goodbye.

"You look very beautiful," a deeply accented voice came from behind her.

Daphne turned around to see her date for her evening.

"I got you this," he continued, holding out a rose.

"It's beautiful," Daphne replied with a smile and accepted the rose. She shrunk it and kept it away so she wouldn't have to keep holding.

"I think ve need to go inside before the champions come," Ilya said, holding out his arm for her.

She intwined her hand in his, looking around the corridor subtly to see if she could see Harry before she went inside the hall. She shook her head internally. _I have a date, and Harry is with his._

* * *

"You ready Harry?" Neville asked Harry.

"I guess so," was Harry's reply as he foolishly tried to tame his unruly hair.

"I still can't believe you're going with Hannah Abbott," Seamus retorted as he fixed his own robes. "I understand how Harry got one of the hottest girls in the year – I mean he's a damn champion… there've been seventh years who have wanted to go with him. But how have you Neville Longbottom managed to snag Hannah Abbott?"

"You sound slightly jealous there Seamus," Dean added in causing Harry to laugh.

"Honest answer to your question Seamus is I don't know. Just sort of happened," Neville answered.

"Shouldn't you be focused on your own date Seamus? Heard you were going with Lavender," Harry asked, finally giving up on his hair.

"I am indeed," the Irish boy huffed proudly. "Dean here is going with Parvati… so proud of him," he said wiping a mock tear of his face.

"What about Ron?" Neville asked, noticing their last roommate wasn't with them.

Harry's head perked up, interested to see who Ron's date was even though they were no longer friends. "Padma," actually Seamus replied. "Those two were too nervous to do it alone, so they went together."

Harry and Neville shared a small smile knowing they had done the same. "Well we better go Harry. Need to pick them up outside their common room."

"Where is their common room actually?" Harry asked as the two walked out of the common room, realising he had never thought where the Hufflepuffs resided.

"Well Hannah told me to go downstairs from the Great Hall and take a right and they'll meet us there,"

"That's right next to the kitchen isn't it?"

"I don't know actually. You know where the kitchen is?" Neville asked surprised.

Harry just nodded and told him how Fred and George had showed him where they were.

"The painting is actually right there," Harry said as they got to the required location. "You just tickle the pear and in you go. The house elves are super nice, and they're always eager to get you anything."

Neville nodded emphatically excited by the prospect. "Here they come," he said.

Harry had to admit Susan was an incredibly attractive witch. She was wearing a black strapless dress, the colour matching well with her dark red hair which was tied up in an elegant knot. He definitely understood what Seamus had meant when making crude comments about the girls in their year – Susan definitely had a larger cleavage than most girls in his year – probably the only reason Seamus didn't stop talking about her. Once again it hit him how much their school robes hid.

Hannah went straight to Neville giving him a small hug, before intwining her arms with his and moved forward. Susan was more restrained giving him a bright smile as they walked behind Neville and Hannah, who were already talking animatedly with each other.

Harry had met her a couple times after he asked her out in the library because she had known how to dance, and he wasn't really attracted to the idea of Professor McGonagall as his dance partner. He was happy Susan was patient with the amount of times he had stepped on her during their practices in abandoned classrooms, but in the end, he persevered until Susan was happy he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

"You okay there?" Susan asked.

"Just hoping that I don't somehow trip and fall onto the floor during the first dance while everyone is watching," he admitted prompting Susan to giggle.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. I made sure you were up to standard," she said, playfully nudging him. They waved goodbye to Hannah and Neville as they walked into the Great Hall. Harry had been notified few days prior that the champions had to meet in the classroom next to the hall beforehand.

They walked in, smiling politely at all the champions who had already arrived. Professor McGonagall quickly ushered them in. "Mr Potter, I believe I should have lived by my promise of turning you into a pocket watch during your first transfiguration lesson."

"Sorry for being late," Harry said sheepishly, although a light smile was on his face.

"Well we do not have time to waste. Now we'll be doing this from youngest champion to oldest. So, Mr Potter can you and Ms Bones stand near the door. Ms Delacour and Mr Davies, you two go behind them. Mr Diggory and Ms Chang third. Finally, Mr Krum you and Ms Granger at the back."

Harry's neck snapped as he turned to look at the back. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed Hermione, but at the same time it wasn't entirely his fault – it was the first time he had even seen her with straight hair. They made eye contact for a second, Hermione raising her eyebrow challengingly. Harry just smiled at her knowing that would infuriate her and turned back around.

"Now follow me," the transfiguration professor said opening the door and leading the four champions and their dates towards the Great Hall. The doors had been closed -probably so they could create a grand entrance.

Professor McGonagall stood to the side before waving her wand, the doors opening in front of them as Harry let out a breath of nervousness before walking in. The Great Hall had been expanded greatly. In the centre of the room there was a large empty rectangular space, obviously where the dancing would occur, with numerous circular tables on either side. Where the professors usually sat had been replaced by a stage where a band had started playing, as the students around them gave a pleasant applause.

Harry put one hand on Susan's waist as he had learned, and the other held her hand before they proceeded. He didn't find it too bad to be honest, happy that he hadn't stepped on her feet and had remembered the moves well. He looked around at the audience who were watching them spotting a few familiar faces. He stifled a smile as he saw Ron looking murderous as he saw Hermione dance with Krum, a massive smile on her face. He spotted the twins who gave him a wink, and overzealously pointing proudly towards their dates. He continued looking around, until his breath hitched in his throat. He saw Daphne in the crowd. She radiated beauty even from afar. She hadn't tied up her hair like most of the girls in the hall, preferring to leave it down, which she had curled slightly. Her dress was a dark red that clung to her figure in the most perfect of ways, her blue eyes sparkling, make everything seem dimmer compared to them.

His reverie was knocked out by Dumbledore, who with the rest of the students joined onto the dance floor. "Well I'm proud of you," Susan said amusedly as they continued dancing into the next song. "You didn't make a fool of yourself, although you did stumble for a second," she continued with a small smirk on her face that made Harry think she knew more than she was letting on.

"Yeah sorry about that," Harry replied. "I'm just glad I didn't embarrass you."

"Don't think you did, although I don't think I have been stared at this much before," she chuckled.

"You kind of get used to it after a while," Harry answered with a smirk. The two danced for a couple more songs, Harry wanting to be a good date knowing how much Susan liked to dance. However, at the same time he couldn't stop himself from looking to where Daphne was with her date ever few minutes. He didn't recognise the boy, so he was probably from another school, Durmstrang he was guessing. He couldn't help comparing the boy to himself, slightly jealous that he got to dance with her. Each time he had to shake himself off from openly staring at her, and focus on his own date, a curious smile on her face as she danced around with him.

Soon dinner was announced, and they headed from the dance floor to the table they were made to sit at with the other champions and heads of school. He found himself squeezed in between Susan and Dumbledore and was pretty sure he heard a loud grumble from Ron a couple tables away who complained there was no food on the table. Dumbledore promptly picked up his menu and chose a meal aloud before it instantaneously appeared on his plate, leading to an array of voices around the hall as each student called for their food.

"So, what's your favourite subject?" Harry asked starting up a conversation, still feeling guilty that while they danced, he kept trying to peek at Daphne.

"Probably arithmancy," Susan answered, taking a bite out of her lambchop. "It's definitely one of the more interesting subjects I do."

"What do you guys actually do in it?" Harry asked genuinely curious.

"It's essentially how spells are created in a way. Wizards and witches don't just magically say a few words and then spells are created. We have to do complex numerical calculations to figure out the foundations of magic in a broad explanation."

"That actually sounds amazing," Harry replied with interest.

"It truly is a devastatingly interesting subject," the headmaster added, who must have heard Susan's explanation. "In fact, if I remember correctly Ms Bones, your aunt was quite brilliant at the subject."

"She truly is," Susan replied, a fond smile on her face as she thought of her aunt. Looking to the headmaster she continued. "What about you sir? What was your favourite subject?" Even Harry was quite interested in the answer, and from the corner of his eye saw a jealous look on Hermione's face as they conversed with the headmaster.

"Ahh, as a boy I truly loved transfiguration. So much in fact, when I was older, I took up the teaching post here for the subject."

"Transfiguration? I always guessed…" Susan started.

"That I had taught defence against the dark arts?" At Susan's nod he continued. Harry had actually already known he was the transfiguration professor from the memory he witnessed in Tom Riddle's diary. "Yes, a common misconception – it probably came from me defeating Grindelwald all those years ago, but it always transfiguration where my true passion lied, and I was quite regretful when I had to leave it."

Dinner continued for another hour, Harry spending most of his time speaking with Susan. He had enjoyed the date with her more than he thought he would, but to him Susan was nothing more than a friend. He did think she was attractive, and she was interesting but somehow, he just could't think of her as more than a friend. When dinner finished, many adjourned to the dance floor once again, but for now Harry was content to sit and talk with his date.

Finally, Dumbledore left with the other heads, making his parting words as he looked at both the teenagers. "It was an honour to talk to both of you tonight. I hope you enjoy the rest of the ball." Harry almost believed that the headmaster was just staring at him, with an apologetic gaze, and a depth of sadness burrowed in his blue orbs, before taking his leave.

"Well we're finally alone without any prying ears," Susan said with a smirk.

"I guess," Harry replied wary of the look she was giving him.

"So, who's the girl?" she said suddenly, propping her elbows on the table.

"The girl…" Harry stammered. "What girl?"

"I mean it was pretty obvious that your gaze has been somewhere else tonight," she continued, the smirk still plastered on her face. "Don't you even think about lying to me."

"I'm so sorry, you must feel terribl-" however, his apology got cut off with a small laugh from Susan.

"Harry, I knew when you asked me, I wasn't your first choice to go to the ball with," she said.

"So why did you agree to come with me?" Harry asked confused.

Sighing, the redheaded witch gave him a sad smile, "because you weren't my first choice either," she replied, pointing towards a dancing couple. He spotted the pompous Hufflepuff Ernie MacMillan dancing with his date, who he realised was another Hufflepuff girl in his year.

"I'm sorry about that," Harry said sincerely.

"It's fine. Not everything works out the way you want it to, and I guess you knew that too since you're not with the girl you keep looking at. So, who is it?"

"Daphne Greengrass," Harry replied, giving her the same amount of trust, she had showed him.

"I didn't know you knew her. You really are an enigma, aren't you? Never pegged you as a guy who would want to go out with a Slytherin," she spoke.

"If you told me that a few months ago I would have readily agreed with you, but then I realised I literally had the same view as Malfoy, thinking all of them were bad. Probably majorly influenced by Ron as well who had told me in the first few minutes, I met him that all Slytherins were evil."

"So, what happened between you two? Did someone ask her before you could?"

Harry sighed and told her the whole story, expressing his mixed emotions, and how he had been feeling since he asked her, hoping as a girl she would have a better perspective to his problems.

When he finished, he was surprised to see Susan laugh. "Oh, you have got it bad," she said in-between giggles. At his confused face, she broke out laughing even more. "You obviously like her you idiot."

"I don't know about that-" Harry started.

"Let's just get all the facts out here," Susan said, cutting him off. "You asked her out to the Yule Ball, you stopped talking to her when it happened, and you've probably stared at her more than you have at me this entire date. Face it, you like the girl."

"Well even if I do, nothing can come of it, and I'm not going to be selfish and risk making the lives of her friends and family difficult."

"I still think that's a dumb reason," the redheaded witch replied. She continued speaking before Harry protested. "I get what you're saying, that the older Slytherins may make her life more difficult, but I'd say that would be more worrisome if you were any other Gryffindor. But you're not, and you have to face the fact that you're Harry Potter. What person would try and mess with Daphne after that performance in the first task. Merlin, you decapitated a dragon, and who exactly wants to put themselves against a person like that."

"I get your point, but I'm still not sure, and the dragon was a one off…" he started, once again being cut off by a large sigh by Susan.

"You really can't take credit for accomplishments can you. Go talk to the girl," she said.

"What now?" Harry asked surprised.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Because we're on a date, and I'd feel horrible if I left you," Harry answered.

"It may be a date, but we're friends, and I'm glad to help you as a friend. Now don't you worry about me, I'm going to go find my friends and dance with them," she said giving him a pat on his arm as she stood up.

"I'm really thankful to have you as a friend too, but I also can't just disturb Daphne from her date," Harry replied.

Susan smirked once again, "I guess you haven't been looking out at the dance floor for a while," she said pointing to the middle of the great hall. "Her date has been dancing with some other girl for the last ten minutes."

Harry followed her hand, and saw the Durmstrang boy, but in his arms wasn't Daphne. "Where'd she go?"

"I can't help you with everything," Susan said with a laugh. "Time for you to do it yourself," she said with a wave before she went and joined her friends on the dance floor.

Harry looked around for a few more moments, still not spotting Daphne anywhere in the Great Hall. However, he spotted someone who could help him. Making his way to the dance floor he spotted Tracey dancing with a Ravenclaw in their year.

"Tracey," he said quickly not wanting to draw attention to himself. "Where's-"

"She took a walk to the gardens about twenty minutes ago," she said with a smile, as she continued dancing with her date.

"How did you know I was asking about-"

"Intuition," she said with a smirk, before turning to focus on her partner.

Harry quickly thanked her before walking out the Great Hall and outside in the courtyard. Even this had been elegantly decorated for the ball and had taken Professor Sprout the better part of three days to do it with magic. There were rose bushes all around him, small romantic lights strung on lines above, and benches littered around the area. Obviously, the professors had thought this may be a place where dates could take a walk or talk outside the Great Hall, but it was clear all they were up to were complete teenage activities. Harry walked the path spotting at least a dozen people in comprising situations, who obviously didn't seem to care other people may spot them.

Finally, he saw her sitting on a bench alone, twirling a rose between her fingers as she looked at it.

"So, what are you doing out here alone?" Harry asked, taking a seat on the bench next to her.

She almost dropped the rose in surprise at hearing a voice so close next to her, before gathering her wits. She turned to see a boy she had not talked properly to in weeks. "I guess I could ask the same for you? She replied, her face impassive.

Harry seemed to stop for a second, a small smile on his face before he answered. "I came looking for you," he said.

If she had expected anything, that was not it. The sincerity in his voice and eyes, told her he was telling him the truth, and without warning a small smile broke out on her face too. "What about your date?"

"Susan? I think we both know she wasn't the person I really wanted to go with. She's a good friend and she agrees with that assessment too, but there's nothing more than that," he said. With a nervous smile he continued, "But, I came to find you now because she made me realise how much I've missed you these past few weeks."

That was the breaking point, the stoicism in her face morphed into one of a genuine smile. The tingling in her stomach that she felt at odd times with him came into full force as she gazed into the depths of his emerald pools. "You missed me?" she stammered; fully aware they had both inched closer to each other.

"A lot," Harry replied genuinely. "I don't think I could have gone through this year without your help, and just your support when almost everyone else couldn't believe me."

Once again, their bodies moved closer to each other on the bench, their eyes never moving from each other as their heads tilted in… "Move away Igor!" the voice of Severus Snape exclaimed as he came from the other side of the bushes with the Durmstrang headmaster, startling the two teens who moved onto the opposite side of the bench.

Once again Harry saw that Snape pulled his sleeve down as quickly as possible, while Karkaroff stalked off. He noticed Harry, and his face immediately turned into a sneer. "Potter what exactly are you doing here," spotting Daphne on the bench as well he spoke again, "are you harassing Ms Greengrass here Potter? Just like your father you…"

"Sir, we were just talking," Daphne interrupted. "Ha- Potter just came to say a quick hi, seeing that we are potion partners and all that," she said quickly.

Snape glared at Harry for a moment longer, before giving Daphne a curt nod and walking away.

Harry remained quiet as the potions professor walked away. Looking back at Daphne he realised what they were going to do, before being interrupted. As if she read his mind, she spoke up.

"What we were about to do… that would have been a mistake," Daphne stammered a moment later, breaking her heart as she saw the crushed look in his eyes. Averting his gaze, she stood up, and walked away as fast as she could, leaving a devastated Harry behind.

* * *

The next day hundreds of bleary-eyed students walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. It was the last day of term and the Hogwarts Express was primed and waiting at the Hogsmeade station to whisk students back to their parents and home. However, many at the moment were cursing said train for making them wake up so early right after the Yule Ball. Others were rushing all their packing into the last minute, most notable ones being the Weasley's of course.

Daphne had already packed the day before, mostly because she knew Tracey was even worse than her when it came to packing and she'd have to end up helping her as well.

"You're an idiot," Tracey blurted out once again as she folded up the last remaining clothes in her wardrobe.

"Yes, I heard you the first time, and I heard it twenty times after that as well," Daphne sighed as she scrounged around the dorm looking for any stray belongings.

"There you are… about to kiss a boy you most definitely like, and you end up running away like a coward," Tracey said.

"You know I can't lead him on like that. There is no way we could possibly have any future with a positive outcome," Daphne reiterated once again, annoyance clear in her voice.

"I know your reasoning, and while I'm flattered you're so worried about me, I can take care of myself-"

"Could we please just drop it," Daphne said, her tone final.

Tracey huffed, but didn't say anything more, and the two continued the packing in silence. They decided to go and grab a quick breakfast with the train leaving in an hour, their luggage levitating next to them as they walked. As they neared the entrance, to the Great Hall, they were halted by a voice.

"Daphne wait!" a voice came from behind her. She turned to see Susan Bones jogging away from her friend Hannah to catch up with them.

"Hi Susan," Daphne replied, sighing internally as she knew what this conversation was going to be about.

"I think I'll leave you two while I get breakfast," Tracey said, not even bothering to conceal her large smirk as she looked towards the interaction.

"So how did it go?" Susan asked, a small excitement in her voice. "I didn't see you or Harry after he went to see you in the gardens, so I guess that's a good sign-"

"Nothing happened Susan," Daphne replied.

"You don't like him back?" Susan asked, her tone immediately becoming sombre.

"I do… I mean no… I don't know. Look it doesn't matter what I feel, but even though I don't have to explain myself to you, I can tell you that him and me just couldn't work," Daphne sighed, repeating her argument once again to another person.

"Merlin, and I thought Harry was dumb," Susan said unabashedly. "Let me explain to you what I had to explain to him," Susan continued, before proceeding to tell her about her talk with Harry the last night.

"… seriously you two are toddlers when it comes to this," Susan spoke finally, hopeful that her point had gotten across to Daphne.

"I've got to go," Daphne said. "Tell Tracey to take my stuff with her to the train," she quickly told Susan before rushing up the stairs.

_Finally,_ Susan sighed.

* * *

Dummy after dummy was torn apart in the room of requirement as Harry shot spell after spell with reckless abandonment. If someone had told him months ago that he would be able to send spells with such dazzling speeds he would have never believed them. However, the last three months he had pushed himself almost everyday and the results could be seen in front of him. He knew he had a long way to go of course, he had barely scratched the surface, and he was sure he still wouldn't be able to take on fully educated death eaters, but he was definitely making clear progress.

He wasn't egotistical, but he knew that even most seventh years at this point would struggle to win against him in a fight. His spell knowledge at the start of term had been pathetic to be blunt, but he had a much larger arsenal now, that was mixed in with complex charms and transfiguration and even some darker spells.

He wasn't training today though. He had hoped wasting all his energy on blasting the room apart would make him forget about his problems, but he still felt hollow inside. _She was so close… she wanted to kiss me; I know she did. _He sat down on the floor, a small bead of sweat falling down from his air. He quickly looked at the time, realising it was still early morning. He hadn't been able to sleep at all last night, so had gone out of bed before the sun had even risen and went to burn off steam in the room. The sound of the door materialising, and opening in front of him, made him stand up as he looked towards the occupant.

"Daphne?" he said stunned. "What are you doing here, don't you have the train to catch now?"

She however didn't seem to listen to him. She kept walking towards him, determination in her eyes with other emotions he couldn't completely decipher.

"I missed you too Harry," was all she said, putting her arms around his neck as she got close, and pressed her lips to his.

* * *

**Well that's a happy ending for now. Still many more trials and tribunals for them to go through in the future.**

**Once again thanks for all the support – this is probably my longest chapter written now, and we're nearing 80k words. Please continue to follow, favourite and most importantly review.**

**Hope you enjoyed the latest one. **


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